THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


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WHAT  SHALL  I  BEAD  ? 


CONFIDENTIAL  CHAT  ON  BOOKS. 


NEW  YORK: 
PHILLIPS      &      HUNT 

CINCINNATI  : 
HITCHCOCK     &     -WALDEN. 


Copyright  1878,  by 

NELSON    &    PHILLIPS, 

New  York. 


TO 
MY   BROTHER    EUGENE, 

^his    Booh 

IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED. 


EDITOE'S    Il^OTE 


tHE  "  Sunday-School "  of  to-day  is  more 
than  a  Sunday -School.  It  has  week-day 
relations  and  responsibilities.  It  has  to 
do  with  the  associations,  the  occupations,  the 
social,  business,  and  literary  habits  of  its  pupils 
from  Sunday  to  Sunday, 

The  present  volume  is  an  earnest  attempt  to 
direct  our  young  people  in  some  matters  not 
wholly  religious,  and  we  have  no  scruples  about 
issuing  it  under  the  auspices  of  our  "  Sunday- 
School  Department."  It  is  not,  however,  to  be 
expected  that  in  every  particular  any  one  dis- 
cussion of  "  books  and  reading "  will  satisfy 
everybody. 

This  little  book  is  written  by  a  cultivated, 
experienced,  judicious  Christian  mother.  Its 
tone  is  pure,  its  aim  high,  its  style  attractive, 
its  counsels  sensible.  May  it  be  a  "minister 
of  good!"  J.  H.  V. 

New  York,  Nov.  30,  1878. 


PREFACE. 


"M^F  a  book  is  not  worth  reading  it 
should  not  be  published.  There- 
fore I  offer  this  one  humbly,  yet  with- 
out apology,  saying,  with  Grumio  : 
"  This  cuff  was  but  to  knock  at  your 
ear,  and  beseech  listening." 


CONTENTS. 


CHAmB  Paqb 

I.  A  Confidential  Chat 9 

II.  Why  Shall  I  Read  ? 15 

III.  How  Shall  I  Read  ? 31 

IV.  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 51 

V.  Books  of  Amusement  or  Fiction 71 

VI.  Religious  Reading log 

VII.  A  Course  of  Reading  Arranged  for  Young 

People 146 

VIII.  Explanation  of  the  Course 152 

IX.  Catalogue  of  Books  Recommended 166 


WHAT  SHALL  I  READ? 


CHAPTER  I. 

A    CONFIDENTIAL    CHAT, 

"^^^THEN  I  was  young  I  felt  the  need  of 
^^  wise  direction  in  the  matter  of  reading. 
It  was  not  enough  for  me  that  friends  pointed 
to  well-filled  shelves  of  books,  and  said  kindly, 
"  Take  what  you  want  ; "  for  I  did  not  know 
what  I  wanted.  A  ticket  for  a  year  at  a  public 
library  and  a  catalogue  of  its  books  was  easily 
obtained,  but  the  library  was  only  a  forest 
through  which  I  was  destined  to  wander  and 
lose  myself,  and  the  catalogue  only  a  will-o'- 
the-wisp,  holding  out  delusive  hopes  of  cheerful 
light  by  the  way. 

What  was  it  to  me  to  read  over  long  lists  of 
histories,  biographies,  travels,  novels,  and  mis- 


10  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

cellaneous  works,  if  I  did  not  know  which 
among  them  to  choose  ?  If  I  took  a  bold 
plunge,  and  made  my  selection,  I  was  almost 
sure  to  be  disappointed.  The  book  I  drew 
would,  perhaps,  be  too  old  for  me,  or  it  would 
relate  to  subjects  of  which  I  was  comparatively 
ignorant,  far  too  much  so  to  enjoy. 

So  there  would  follow  a  weary  feeling  of  dis- 
gust and  self-distrust.  I  would  argue  that  the 
book  was  written  for  instruction,  but  since  it 
failed  to  instruct  me  the  fault  must  lie  in  my 
mind,  which  must  necessarily  therefore  be  a 
poor  one,  incapable  of  receiving  information. 

Sometimes  this  feeling  would  induce  mental 
lethargy,  and  I  would  be  for  awhile  indifferent 
to  books,  and  try  to  occupy  myself  wholly  with 
the  occurrences  of  every-day  life.  But  these 
brought  my  ignorance  still  more  vividly  before 
me ;  I  could  not  listen  to  any  intelligent  con- 
versation, nor  look  at  any  newspaper  or  period- 
ical, without  becoming  painfully  aware  of  my 
own  deficiencies.  Especially  when  in  the  so- 
ciety of  those  I  loved  and  respected,  I  felt  that 


A   Confidential  Cliat.  ii 

I  must  be  better  informed  to  understand  and 
enjoy  it,  and,  in  listening  to  them,  I  saw  that  it 
would  be  wise  for  me  to  hold  my  peace. 

It  might  be  possible  to  do  this,  but  I  rebelled 
against  the  fact  that  I  should  be  excluded  from 
the  society  I  loved,  and  must  willfully  take  my 
place  among  the  dullards  of  the  earth.  Doubt- 
less I  should  find  plenty  to  walk  with  me  in 
the  shady  paths  of  ignorance ;  but  I  longed  for 
sunlight,  and  felt  that  if  some  kind  hand  would 
only  point  the  way  I  might  summon  resolution 
enough  to  walk  in  it. 

Then  I  would  try  again  and  select  another 
book,  and  read  it  in  a  plodding  way,  moving  on 
my  marker  fifty  pages  a  day  with  a  dreary 
satisfaction.  At  least  I  was  doing  my  duty. 
Some  good  would  come  of  it  sooner  or  later  I 
hoped,  and  so  I  kept  on,  learning  very  little, 
wandering  in  the  forest,  but  never  seeing  my 
way  through  it. 

It  seemed  to  me  to  be  a  prominent  necessity 
that  all  my  books  should  be  large,  and  written 
for  old  people.    The  duller  the  better,  I  thought. 


12  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

A  child's  history  would  give  me  more  actual  in- 
formation in  twenty  minutes  than  my  big  books 
gave  in  as  many  hours  ;  but  I  was  ashamed  to 
own  this.  My  ideas  were  false  on  the  subject 
from  beginning  to  end,  and  nobody  knew  my 
need, 

I  used  to  say  to  myself,  "  If  ever  I  conquer 
my  difficulties,  and  have  the  time  and  ability 
to  do  it,  I  will  help  others  who  feel  as  I  do 
now."  I  often  wished  that  somebody  had  felt 
so  before  me,  and  I  thought  all  readers  had 
been  very  selfish  not  to  leave  some  record  of 
their  struggles  and  triumphs. 

Now  I  shall  assume  that  many  other  young 
people  feel  as  I  did,  because  I  think  human 
beings  are  very  much  alike,  and  the  need  of 
one  is  apt  to  be  the  need  of  another. 

If  we  were  all  to  speak  very  honestly  I  think 
we  should  confess  to  a  shame  of  our  ignorance  ; 
but  we  are,  perhaps,  either  a  little  too  proud  or 
a  little  too  lazy  to  acknowledge  this  feeling  and 
to  combat  it.  We  look  with  admiration  at 
those  who  have  had  the  energy  to  achieve  sue- 


A   Confidential  Chat.  13 

cess  ;  those  who  seem  to  be  always  at  their 
ease,  whatever  subject  is  under  discussion ; 
who  are  able  to  say  the  word  in  season  quietly, 
and  without  parade  of  learning,  because  it  is  as 
natural  to  them  to  be  informed  as  for  others  to 
be  ignorant. 

But  we  feel  that  such  ease  is  impossible  for 
us,  and  we  sigh  and  fold  our  hands,  and  say, 
"  I  wish  I  knew  as  much  ; "  or  else  we  try  to  get 
along  by  a  general  flippancy,  which  will  turn 
all  serious  conversation  into  trivialities  where 
we  feel  ourselves  at  home. 

But  why  should  any  one  thus  tamely  submit 
to  mediocrity  ?  Knowledge  is  within  the  reach 
of  all  who  will  stretch  out  their  hands  and 
grasp  it. 

Some  say,  "  Good  and  evil  grow  on  the  same 
tree,  and  we  do  not  know  how  to  choose  the 
good  and  reject  the  evil.  Ignorance  is  inno- 
cence." Ah,  but  it  is  not.  That  is  a  mistake 
too  many  make. 

Now,  having  taken  it  for  granted  that  I  am 
addressing  a  class  of  young  people  who  are  too 


14  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

intelligent  to  be  willfully  ignorant,  too  ignorant 
to  be  very  intelligent,  too  pure  to  want  to  grasp 
the  evil,  and  too  weak  to  reach  high  enough  for 
the  good  fruit,  I  will  try  in  a  friendly  way  to 
help  them,  offering  myself  only  as  a  guide-post 
in  the  forest,  or  a  crooked  stick  which  may  be 
useful  in  bringing  down  a  very  little  fruit  from 
the  tree  of  knowledge  ;  and  if  any,  after  using 
me  for  this  purpose,  throw  me  aside,  and  climb 
nimbly  to  the  tip-top  of  the  tall  tree,  I  will  not 
complain,  but  lie  peacefully  where  I  am  thrown, 
remembering  that  once  /  had  need  of  a  crooked 
stick,  and  for  the  want  of  it  never  could  climb. 


W/iy  Sitall  I  Read?  15 


CHAPTER  II. 

WHY    SHALL    I    READ  ? 

JL  HAVE  assumed  that  I  am  addressing  a 
s  class  of  young  people  who  are  unwilling  to 
be  ignorant,  and  yet  even  among  this  class 
there  are  many  who  give  the  following  an- 
swers to  the  question,  Why  should  you  tiot 
read  ? 

"  Because  it  looks  so  owlish  to  be  forever 
poring  over  a  book."  "  Because  I  have  a  great 
deal  to  do,  and  reading  takes  so  much  time," 
"  Because  I  forget  all  I  read  >.  my  mind  is  like 
a  sieve."  "  Because  what  I  learn  by  reading 
one  year  I  must  unlearn  the  next,  for  every 
thing  changes,  and  so  what  is  the  use  .-* " 

As  to  looking  owlish — I  should  condemn 
that  remark,  except  that  I  see  in  it  an  honesty 
that  objects  to  affectation.  If  you  must  neces- 
sarily feel  that  the  eyes  of  the  world  are  on 
you,  you  are  perhaps  right  to  refuse  what  you 


i6  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

feel  would  be  an  affectation.  But  I  am  sorry 
you  have  so  little  independence  and  so  much 
self-consciousness.  I  advise  you,  dear  friend,  to 
think  less  of  appearances.  It  is  certainly  far 
better  to  be  ignorant  than  to  pretend  to  knowl- 
edge which  is  superficial.  But  why  need  there 
be  any  pretense  in  the  matter  ?  Let  me  tell 
you  that  we  all  think  more  of  ourselves  than 
others  think  of  us.  Remember  that  you  have 
an  inalienable  right  to  obscurity.  You  may 
read  as  much  as  ever  you  want  to  without  ex- 
citing any  commotion  in  the  world,  or  even  in 
that  corner  of  it  which  is  your  home.  To  sit 
in  public,  with  a  book  in  your  hand,  for  the 
purpose  of  being  .seen  and  considered  literary, 
is,  perhaps,  the  flattest  piece  of  folly  one  can  be 
guilty  of  I  am  not  afraid  that  you,  who  dread 
to  be  thought  owlish,  will  fall  into  it  ;  nor  will 
any  one  who  has  any  sense  at  all.  That  is  not 
reading,  it  is  pretending  to  read.  If  you  really 
read  you  will  soon  forget  to  think  what  others 
may  possibly  say  about  you,  and  so  I  advise 
you  by  all  means  to  begin.     Keep  under  that 


W/ij^  Shall  I  Read?  17 

"  mountainous  me,"  and  do  as  you  choose,  with- 
out regard  to  criticism,  as  long  as  what  you  do 
is  right  in  itself.  Moreover,  reading  is  a  very 
common  employment  nowadays  ;  it  excites  no 
remark  whatever,  so  all  the  advice  I  give  you, 
my  dear  owl,  is,  not  to  strain  your  eyes  by 
forever  poring  over  a  book  ;  daylight  will  be 
better  than  gaslight  ;  but  a  moderate  amount 
of  reading  by  any  light  will  not  injure  you,  nor 
your  friends,  nor  your  critics. 

My  next  friend  says,  "  Because  I  have  a  great 
deal  to  do." 

It  will  rest  and  refresh  you  to  turn  from  your 
numerous  occupations,  if  only  for  a  very  few 
minutes,  and  read,  if  only  a  very  little.  You 
will  attend  to  your  many  duties  more  cheer- 
fully and  usefully  for  such  a  rest : 

"  A  millstone  and  the  human  heart  are  ever  turning  round  ; 
If  they  have  nothing  else  to  grind,  they  must  themselves  be 
ground." 

This  is  also  true  of  the  mind.     If  your  duties 

are  mechanical  your  mind  grows  weary  ;  give 

it  something  to  grind,  lest  it  react  upon  itself. 
2 


1 8  What  Shall  I  Read? 

There  are  few,  if  any,  employments  in  life  that 
cannot  be  better  performed  by  a  reader  than 
by  one  who  never  cares  to  look  at  a  book.  I 
do  not  mean  by  one  who  is  called  a  bookworm. 
I  do  not  advocate  incessant  study,  nor  do  I 
recommend  any  neglect  of  duty  for  the  sake 
of  self-indulgence.  But  if  you  really  want  to 
read,  it  is  astonishing  how  much  time  you  will 
find  for  it.  Many  a  mother  at  the  head  of  a 
large  household  finds  time  to  rest  her  tired 
head  by  forgetting  her  cares  for  one  short  half 
hour  over  her  book.  Many  a  business  man 
rises  a  little  earlier  that  he  may  lighten  his 
day's  responsibilities  by  a  cheerful  start  with 
some  clever  author.  And  surely  the  hour 
spent  in  rocking  a  fretful  baby  is  brighter 
and  shorter  for  the  pleasant  thought  that  the 
book  suggested,  which  dwells  in  the  mind 
through  the  long  day,  and  is  something  for  the 
millstone  to  grind.  And  business  is  not  hin- 
dered by  knowledge,  and  the  responsibilities  of 
life  are  not  lessened  by  a  hearty  laugh.  If  your 
life  is  toilsome,  read  to  forget  your  toil  just  long 


W/t)f  Shall  I  Read?  19 

enough  to  enable  you  to  work  more  cheerfully 
for  the  rest. 

Let  any  one  who  thinks  his  lot  in  life  is  par- 
ticularly hard  read  the  lives  of  others,  and  he 
will  see  there  is  nothing  uncommon  in  his  case. 
Others  have  struggled,  worked,  been  disap- 
pointed, and  cast  down,  yet  they  have  tri- 
umphed in  the  end. 

Let  any  one  who  feels  depressed  by  sickness, 
poverty,  or  care,  read  and  find  out  how  other 
burdened  souls  bore  depression,  poverty,  and 
care  ;  how  others  have  mourned  and  been  com- 
forted ;  how  others  have  sinned  and  suffered  ; 
how  others  have  gone  rejoicing  in  their  lot,  as 
God  gave  it  to  them,  or  have  sunk  into  apathy 
and  despair,  according  to  the  use  or  abuse  they 
made  of  God's  good  gift  of  reason.  All  such 
reading  helps  us  to  liv^e,  and  if  our  lives  are  full 
of  anxiety  we  need  such  helps.  Devote  a 
few  minutes  to  feeding  your  mind,  just  as  you 
give  your  body  food  to  keep  it  in  good  work- 
ing order.  Oil  the  machine  and  it  will  work 
more  easily,  and  will  not  complain  with  creak- 


20  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

ings  and  groanings.  The  time  lost  will  be 
more  than  made  up  in  the  increased  speed 
and  ease  with  which  the  machinery  will  run. 
Read,  then,  because  you  have  a  great  deal 
to  do. 

The  next  objection  is,  "  Because  I  forget 
every  thing." 

The  great  Talleyrand  once  said.  "  All  I  have 
learned  I  have  forgotten,  what  I  know  I  guess." 
This  was  very  clever  in  its  way,  but  you  will 
observe  that  without  previous  knowledge  he 
could  scarcely  have  made  accurate  guesses.  It 
has  been  said  that  the  difference  between  a 
well-educated  person,  and  one  who  is  not,  is 
that  the  former  always  knows  where  to  refer 
for  information  ;  and  one  of  our  cleverest  law- 
yers confessed  that  all  his  study  had  only 
taught  liim  where  to  find  knowledge  when  he 
needed  to  seek  it.  There  are  wonderful  in- 
stances of  memory  on  record,  but  chiefly  re- 
lated about  those  who  were  people  of  one  idea. 
A  mind  subject  to  constant  interruption  cannot 
hope  to  remember  all  things  ;  one  circumstance 


IV/iy  Shall  I  Read?  21 

crowds  out  another,  and  an  active  mind  and  re- 
tentive memory  do  not  often  go  together.  You 
need  not  consider  your  mind  as  a  sieve,  because 
you  do  not  remember  all  you  read.  You  may 
forget  some  fact  entirely,  as  you  suppose,  till 
you  have  occasion  to  use  it,  when  it  will  start 
up  fresh  in  your  memory.  Or  if  you  still  feel 
that  you  are  inaccurate,  you  may  remember 
where  you  met  with  it,  and  reference  to  that 
place  will  re-establish  it  in  your  mind.  Charles 
Lamb  gives  us  a  charming  account  of  a  visit 
he  and  his  "  Cousin  Bridget "  paid  to  some 
relatives  who  lived  in  a  remote  part  of  the 
country  ;  he  describes  the  kindness  of  their 
reception,  and  speaks  in  this  way  of  his  cousin's 
memory : 

"With  what  kindness  we  were  received  by 
them  ;  how  Bridget's  memory,  exalted  by  the 
occasion,  warmed  into  a  thousand  half-obliter- 
ated recollections  of  persons  and  things,  to  my 
utter  astonishment  and  her  own — old  effaced 
images  of  more  than  half-forgotten  names  and 
circumstances  still  crowding  back  upon  her,  as 


22  What  Shall  I  Read? 

words  zvrittcn  vt  lemon  come  out  tip  on  exposure 
to  afrie)idly  waunth." 

This  is  the  way  we  remember.  We  need 
the  friendly  warmth  of  social  intercourse,  and 
that  brings  out  our  hidden  or  half-remembered 
thoughts,  and  ideas,  and  recollections. 

But  a  patient,  attentive  habit  of  reading  goes 
far  to  fix  'our  memory.  "  The  art  of  memory  is 
the  art  of  attention."  We  remember  what  inter- 
ests us.     Do  you  not  find  this  to  be  true  .-' 

If  you  are  fond  of  fishing,  you  probably  are 
well  instructed  on  that  subject ;  you  can  remem- 
ber all  about  fishing.  Or,  if  you  are  fond  of 
dress,  you  can  remember  just  how  many  ruffles 
are  fashionable  on  a  skirt,  and  the  name  of  the 
last  new  color. 

Why  can  you  remember  one  thing  and  not 
another } 

Simply  because  one  thing  interests  you,  and 
the  other  does  not.  But  you  can  cultivate  this 
art  of  memory,  and  if  you  are  in  earnest  you 
will  cultivate  it. 

Perhaps  you  are  not  fond  of  reading,  and  yet 


nVif  Shall  I  Read?  23 

you  wish  to  cultivate  your  taste  in  this  respect. 
Then  do  not  choose  a  hard  book,  a  dull  book,  a 
big  book,  and  read  away  as  though  condemned 
to  hard  labor. 

Take  something  that  interests  you,  even  if 
it  is  a  child's  book  ;  do  not  be  ashamed  to  be 
seen  reading  a  child's  book.  If  it  is  capable 
of  interesting  you,  and  other  books  do  not  in- 
terest you,  begin  with  it,  and  read  it  attentively. 
You  will  remember  it  if  it  has  interested  you. 
That  is  the  first  step  gained,  the  first  point 
reached.  You  will  see  that  you  can  remember 
something.  Little  by  little  your  memory  will 
strengthen  if  you  exercise  it.  Determination 
will  prevail.  "  For  they  can  conquer  who  be- 
lieve they  can." 

Do  not  crowd  your  memory,  do  not  under- 
take too  much.  One  little  song  well  remem- 
bered is  worth  fifty  facts  forgotten.  Children 
often  say,  "  I  forgot  to  remember."  So,  many 
readers  forget  to  remember ;  but  this  is  a  state 
of  mental  inactivity,  which  can  be  overcome. 
Do  not  allow  yourself  to  be  conquered  by  sloth  ; 


24  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

make  one  well-sustained,  good,  strong  effort, 
and  you  will  be  cured.  Who  wants  a  bed-ridden 
mind  ?  If  you  are  forgetful,  you  will  do  well  to 
read. 

What  is  the  next  objection  ? 

"  Because  what  I  learn  one  year  I  must  un- 
learn the  next,  so  what  is  the  use  ? " 

One  might  as  well  say,  because  I  shall  be 
hungry  again  I  will  not  eat.  It  is  true  that 
with  the  progress  of  science  the  views  of  think- 
ing men  change,  and  there  are  many  more  things 
in  heaven  and  earth  than  ever  were  dreamed  of 
in  our  grandparents'  philosophy.  But  shall  any 
one  give  this  as  a  reason  for  not  informing  him- 
self, as  far  as  he  may  ?  I  hope  not  !  You  may, 
perhaps,  never  be  able  to  lead,  but  surely  you  may 
follow  your  age  ;  and  even  granting  that  the  wis- 
dom of  the  present  day  may  be  folly  to  the 
next  generation,  still  it  all  helped  to  prepare  the 
way  for  what  was  better. 

Those  who  come  after  us  cannot  arrive  at 
their  wisdom  till  we  have  done  some  good,  solid 
thinking.     If   we   believe  in    progression,    and 


WAj^  Shall  I  Read?  25 

that  the  world  will  grow  wiser,  better,  and  holier 
as  it  grows  older,  we  shall  be  glad  the  time  will 
come  when  dark  things  shall  be  made  light 
even  though  zve  never  shall  see  that  light.  Let 
us  hold  our  penny  tallow  dip  steadily,  if  that  is 
all  we  have,  till  a  more  glorious  light  is  kindled 
from  its  feeble  flame. 

Let  us,  at  least,  know  as  much  as  we  may, 
then,  if  in  our  old  age  we  find  we  must  change 
some  of  our  views,  our  minds  will  have  been 
prepared  for  the  change,  in  fact,  we  have  helped 
to  make  it.  Our  enlightened  intelligence  has 
rejected  what  was  false  and  accepted  what  was 
true.  We  leave  the  world  possibly  a  trifle 
brighter  than  we  found  it,  and  we  depart  thank- 
fully bequeathing  our  wisdom  merely  as  a  step- 
ping-stone to  those  who  are  to  follow  us  ;  glad 
to  have  shed  ever  so  feeble  a  light,  glad  to  have 
left  ever  so  small  a  stone,  as  guide  and  help 
to  stronger  eyes  and  feet  than  ours. 

Now,  having  answered  your  objections — why 
you  should  7iot  read — I  will  give  you  a  reason 
why  you  should. 


26  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

We  ought  not  to  live  for  ourselves  alone,  we 
ought  to  live  for  others.  Whatever  instructs 
and  enlarges  our  minds,  increases  our  power  in 
this  respect. 

Ignorance  does  more  harm  than  any  thing  in 
the  world  except  sin — and  ignorance  leads  to  sin. 
A  narrow-contracted  mind  does  injury  wherever 
it  goes.  '  Look  at  any  small,  uneducated,  unin- 
tellectual,  unrefined  community.  What  are  the 
aims  and  thoughts  and  sentiments  of  its  mem- 
bers .''  Are  they  not  narrow,  small,  and  piti- 
ful }  Hear  such  people  talk  about  each  other  ! 
Malice,  envy,  and  detraction  become  apparent 
at  once.  Hear  them  comment  on  the  age  in 
which  they  live !  To  them  science  is  a  hum- 
bug, thought  is  dangerous,  heroism  is  self-seek- 
ing, religion  is  hypocrisy.  Why.''  Simply  be- 
cause their  minds  have  nothing  to  grind,  and 
must  themselves  be  ground.  Simply  because 
they  will  not  open  their  eyes  and  see  the  light, 
and  so  they  must  remain  in  darkness.  O  "  how 
great  is  that  darkness  !  " 

Place  any  member  of  such  a  community  in  a 


IV/iy  Shall  I  Read?  27 

position  of  power,  and  what  confusion  will  be 
wrought !  Bigotry  and  superstition,  those  true 
children  of  ignorance,  accomplish  their  work 
with  fatal  swiftness.  The  more  earnest  an  un- 
enlightened man  is,  the  more  mischief  he  will  do. 
Has  not  weakness  slain  its  thousands,  and  igno- 
rance its  tens  of  thousands,  ever  since  the  world 
began  ?  Look  at  the  massacres  of  religious 
bodies  by  those  calling  themselves  Christians  ; 
those  who  hieiv  not  what  manner  of  Spirit 
they  were  of!  Look  at  the  tortures  inflicted 
on  men  of  science  in  old  times !  at  the  burn- 
ing of  witches,  not  so  very  long  ago,  in  our 
own  country ! 

Do  you  suppose  liberally-instructed  minds 
could  have  tortured  Galileo,  or  burnt  a  so-called 
witch  ?  It  was  ignorance  that  did  the  mischief. 
Ah !  thank  God  for  that  prayer  on  the  cross  : 
"  Forgive  them  ;  for  they  knozv  not  what  they 
do,"  And  thank  God  this  is  an  age  of  progress, 
and  it  is  the  duty  of  every  rational  human  being 
to  progress  with  the  age,  boldly,  prayerfully, 
and  with  strength.      Intellectual  development 


28  What  Shall  I  Read? 

gives  this  strength,  and  knowledge  induces  the 
humility  that  brings  us  to  God's  feet,  there  meek- 
ly to  try  and  learn  of  him  how  best  to  live,  that 
his  world  may  be  the  better  for  our  lives. 

"  What !  "  You  say,  "  Do  you  suppose  that 
/  ever  should  be  tempted  to  be  brutal  or  cruel 
because  I  do  not  read  ?  That  is  really  strain- 
ing a  point.  You  said  just  now  that  i  was  ob- 
scure ;  what  difference  does  it  make  to  the  world 
what  /  do,  or  whether  I  am  informed  or  not  ?  " 

It  makes  just  this  difference.  However  ob- 
scure your  lot  in  life  may  be,  you  are  daily  and 
hourly  exerting  an  influence  on  those  around 
you.  If  your  mind  is  narrow,  it  is  a  narrow 
influence  ;  if  your  mind  is  enlarged,  it  is  a  broad, 
blessed  influence.  You  would  not  be  willfully 
cruel,  yet,  for  lack  of  knowledge,  you  might 
wound  some  sensitive  soul  almost  to  death. 
You  may  in  your  own  obscure  corner  torture 
your  friend,  by  misunderstanding  and  misrepre- 
senting him,  till  in  shallow  ignoran-ce  you  have 
fastened  on  him  the  names  of  atheist,  free- 
thinker, infidel.    You  may  weaken  the  influence 


IV/ij  Shall  I  Read?  29 

of  good  Christians,  you  may  embitter  your  own 
life  and  that  of  others  by  doubting  kindness,  sus- 
pecting friendship,  disbeheving  truth  and  good- 
ness, not  because  you  want  to  be  hard  and 
cruel,  but  because  you  are  ignorant. 
"  And  will  reading  prevent  all  this  ?  " 
Yes,  in  great  measure,  it  will.  You  can 
hardly  read  intelligently  without  seeing  what 
motives  have  actuated  others.  You  recognize 
the  springs  of  action,  you  see  cause  and  effect, 
you  know  why  this  great  evil  was  done,  why 
that  great  good  was  thought  of,  and  you  learn 
to  read  character,  to  discriminate  nicely,  to 
think  soberly,  to  judge  slowly.  You  are  study- 
ing mankind,  and  you  learn  to  direct  yourself. 
You  learn  charity  also,  for  a  knowledge  of  hu- 
man nature  teaches  charity.  You  see  its  weak- 
ness, its  misery,  its  folly  ;  you  see  its  great  and 
bitter  need  of  a  Saviour.  The  history  of  the 
world  teaches  you  to  be  very  charitable,  to 
pity,  not  to  strike ;  and  a  knowledge  of  your 
Lord  and  Master  will  teach  you  to  forgive, 
not  to  condemn. 


30  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

So,  if  you  ask  me  why  you  should  read,  I 
reply  :  To  develop  the  mind  that  God  has  given 
you  for  the  benefit  of  your  fellow-beings  ;  to 
learn,  that  you  may  help  others ;  to  under- 
stand, that  you  may  do  all  the  good  in  your  day 
and  generation  that  one  mortal  may  do  ;  to 
trade  with  your  talents  for  your  Lord,  like  a 
good  and  faithful  servant  who  has  kept  those 
things  which  were  committed  to  his  care. 


How  Shall  I  Read?  31 


CHAPTER  III. 

HOW    SHALL    I    READ? 


C>ii 


jF,  in  answer  to  this  question,  I  reply,  "  Read 
Q^    intelligently,"  you  will  say, 

"  That  is  the  very  point :  I  cannot  read 
intelligently  ;  that  is  my  trouble.  I  open  a  book 
determined  to  understand  it,  but  before  I  have 
read  a  page,  I  come  to  some  word  I  have  never 
seen  before,  or  some  sentence  which  conveys 
no  meaning  to  me,  because  it  refers  to  some- 
thing of  which  I  am  ignorant.  Perhaps  I  ought 
to  know  about  it,  but  I  do  not  ;  and  yet  to  un- 
derstand the  book  I  must  know  to  what  the 
author  refers,  and  I  must  know  the  meaning 
of  the  words  he  uses.    It  is  very  discouraging  !  " 

This  is  a  difficulty  I  know,  but  not  as  great 
as  you  think,  and  let  me  whisper  confidentially 
to  you  that  I  have  often  been  puzzled  in  this 
way  myself,  and  know  just  how  provoking  it  is. 
But  for   encouragement    I   will   add,  that   nine 


32  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

readers  out  of  ten  meet  with  the  same  diffi- 
culty, and  I  doubt  if  they  could  give  an  intelli- 
gent explanation  of  every  word  on  a  double 
page  of  any  thoughtful  work. 

To  test  this  I  once  opened  in  a  random  way 
the  book  that  lay  nearest  to  me,  and  challenged 
a  party  of  five  intelligent  people  to  explain  one 
page  thoroughly  to  me. 

The  book  was  "  Fronde's  History  of  England," 
a  book  written  by  an  Englishman,  in  the  English 
language,  and  the  intelligent  five  smiled  as  I 
proposed  the  test.  In  the  page  to  which  I 
opened  was  this  sentence  :  "  No  sooner  had  the 
pacification  of  Nice  been  completed,  and  Henry 
had  found  that  he  was  not,  after  all,  to  be  ad- 
mitted as  a  party  contrahcnt,  than,  without 
quarreling  with  Charles,  he  turned  his  position 
by  immediate  advances  to  the  Smalcaldic 
Leaguer  How  many  do  you  suppose  of  the 
five  could  explain  this.-'  Not  one !  Yet  they 
were  all  well-educated  people.  The  next  book, 
opened  in  the  same  random  way,  was  Macken- 
zie's "  Life  of  Walter  Scott,"  and  on  the  first 


How  Shall  I  Read?  33 

page  to  which  I  turned  was  an  allusion  to  "  the 
Culdees."  This  was  referred  to  a  party  of 
twelve.  One  said  it  was  a  group  of  islands  ; 
but  knew  nothing  of  their  location.  Another 
said  it  was  a  name  for  Irish  fairies.  Nine  of 
the  party  frankly  confessed  ignorance,  and  the 
twelfth  gave  the  correct  answer.  The  twelfth 
was  a  quiet  man  who  seldom  spoke  ;  the  intelli- 
gent eleven  doubted  his  information,  and  he 
referred  them,  not  to  an  abstruse  ecclesias- 
tical work,  but  to  one  of  Walter  Scott's  nov- 
els, where,  to  be  sure,  the  desired  knowledge 
lay. 

I  shall  not  tell  you  who  the  Culdees  were. 
Their  history  is  interesting,  but  I  shall  let  you 
find  out  for  yourselves ;  and  you  may  also 
look  up  information  respecting  the  Smalcaldic 
League,  which  is  also  interesting,  and  "  party 
contrahent,"  which  is  not  interesting. 

But  you  say,  "  Universal  ignorance  is  not 
encouraging  to  the  young  reader." 

In  a  certain  way  it  is.     There  is  a  French 

proverb  which  says,  "  In  the  realm  of  the  bhnd 
3 


34  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

the  one-eyed  are  kings."  And  applied  to  read- 
ing and  general  information  this  is  encouraging, 
because  it  removes  false  shame,  which  is  the 
very  destruction  of  one's  mind.  A  feeling  of 
pride,  a  fear  lest  you  be  ridiculed  for  your  igno- 
rance, is  at  once  absurd  and  perfectly  natural. 
Children,,  as  a  rule,  are  merciless,  and  ridicule 
unsparingly  the  mistakes  of  their  companions. 
We  have  all  smarted  under  this  in  childhood, 
and  it  takes  us  a  great  while  to  outgrow  the 
impression  it  leaves.  We  shrink  from  ridicule, 
and  dread  to  expose  ourselves  to  it  willfully. 

But  conquer  this  feeling  !  Live  above  it  ! 
Even  make  your  mistake !  The  literary  world 
will  not  quake  if  you  should  call  the  Culdees  a 
group  of  islands.  The  only  possible  conse- 
quence of  your  mistake  would  be  that  you 
might  receive  information  from  the  one-eyed 
who  is  king  of  that  one  fact.  Do  not  be  afraid 
of  others.  As  a  rule,  human  nature  is  kind 
and  refined  ;  intelligent  human  nature  is  ve}y 
kind.  I  have  never  yet  seen  a  well-instructed 
person  who  was  either  conceited  or  unkind  ; 


How  Shall  I  Read?  35 

who  was  not  willing  cheerfully  to  give  informa- 
tion without  a  thought  of  ridicule.  Knowledge 
makes  us  humble  ;  it  is  only  the  ignorant  who 
ridicule  others.  Children  fall  into  this  error  to 
cover  their  own  mistakes.  They  think,  with 
other  uninstructed  minds,  that  they  will  ele- 
vate themselves  by  detracting  from  others  ;  but 
years  teach  them  better,  and  they  give  up  such 
false  views. 

No  one  person  can  be  expected  to  know 
every  thing.  We  all  bring  our  thoughts  to 
market,  and  barter  and  exchange  them.  It 
would  be  a  poor  market  if  all  brought  the  same 
thing  ;  or,  to  use  a  very  homely  figure,  we  are 
like  boys  in  a  school  who  delight  in  making 
"a  good  swap."  Only  let  us  be  sure  we  are 
able  to  make  a  good,  fair  swap  !  Almost  every 
body  can  trade  in  this  way.  The  hod  carrier 
can  tell  you  how  to  carry  a  hod  ;  that  is  his  vo- 
cation, that  is  what  he  understands,  and,  so  far 
as  hod  carrying  is  concerned,  he  can  give  you 
information.  He  is  king  there,  and  his  hod 
is  his  scepter  with  which  he  rules   his  world. 


36  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

In  all  probability  your  world  is  a  larger  one 
than  his,  and  yet  he  is  king  in  that  one  prov^- 
ince  where  hod  carrying  is  a  necessary  pur- 
suit. You  can  tell  him  something  of  which 
he  is  ignorant,  doubtless.  Need  either  of  you 
be  ashamed  ? 

"  But  ,1  am  ignorant  where  I  ought  to  be  in- 
formed," you  say. 

Well,  now,  tell  me  if  there  is  any  one  distinct 
period  of  time  into  which  all  the  information 
of  life  is  crowded  ?  If  so,  what  is  the  age 
at  which  a  human  being  is  supposed  to 
have  received  perfect  instruction  ?  It  certainly 
cannot  be  in  childhood  ;  then  it  must  be  in 
youth.  Do  we  know  every  thing  at  twenty  ? 
My  experience  may  be  limited,  but  I  Ihiiik  we 
do  not. 

At  twenty-five,  then,  perhaps  ?  or  at  twenty- 
five,  six  months,  two  weeks,  and  three  days  ? 
You  laugh  and  say,  "  Absurd  ! "  So  it  is  ab- 
surd !  very  absurd  to  suppose  that  we  can 
ever  hope  to  be  fully  informed  on  every  sub- 
ject at  any  one  given  time.     As  long  as  we 


Hoiv  Shall  I  Read?  37 

live  we  may  learn  if  we  will.  And  how  do  we 
learn  ? 

Do  you  not  see  that  because  you  do  not  un- 
derstand all  you  meet  with  in  books,  you  imi.:^^t 
read  if  you  want  to  learn.  It  is  the  very  best 
reason  for  reading.  If  you  knew  every  thing  it 
would  not  be  necessary.  These  little  diffi- 
culties stimulate  us  ;  we  inform  ourselves  be- 
cause of  them;  we  amuse  ourselves  with  them  ; 
we  expand  our  ideas  by  them.  So  instead  of 
discouragements  they  should  be  incentives  to 
further  effort. 

'*  But  what  a  bore  I  should  be  to  others  if  I 
always  went  about  with  an  open  book  asking 
questions  ! " 

Very  true.  There  is  a  time  to  ask  questions, 
and  a  time  to  keep  silence.  As  a  rule,  ques- 
tions are  disagreeable ;  I  have  no  desire  to  let 
loose  reckless  questioners  on  an  unsuspecting 
public  by  the  advice  I  give  in  this  book  ! 
Therefore,  I  will  try  to  show  you  a  more  excel- 
lent way. 

There  are  three  things  really  necessary  to 


38  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

an  intelligent  reader :  an  atlas,  a  dictionary, 
and  an  encyclopedia.  If  you  own  these  you 
are  independently  wealthy.  You  can  answer 
all  your  own  questions  ;  you  should  own  them. 
They  can  all  be  obtained  for  a  hundred  dollars. 

"  A  hundred  dollars  !  "  you  cry.  "  Impossi- 
ble !     A  hundred  dollars  for  books  !  " 

"  Why  impossible .''  And  why  not  spend  a 
hundred  dollars  for  books  ?  Look  at  the  sub- 
ject for  a  minute.  How  much  money  have  you 
owned  since  you  were  ten  years  old  ?  How 
much  pocket  money  have  you  now  ?  What 
does  it  go  for  ?  And  how  long  will  it  take 
you  to  save  or  to  earn  a  hundred  dollars  .''  " 

Many  of  you  say,  "  A  great  while  ;  I  have 
very  little  spending  money.  I  doubt  if  I  ever 
could  hope  to  set  aside  such  a  sum  for  books. 
I  have  to  pay  my  board  and  help  my  family  ;  I 
have  not  a  cent  more  than  I  absolutely  need 
for  my  actual  expenses ;  I  am  poor,  and  I 
feel  poverty  to  be  a  curse;  do  not  sting  me 
with  it ! " 

No,  never.     To  all  who  cannot  truly  afford  it, 


How  Shall  I  Read?  39 

I  do  not  make  the  suggestion.  It  is  far  more 
noble  to  work  with  your  hands  for  your  daily 
bread,  pay  your  way,  and  help  others,  than  to 
indulge  yourself  selfishly  in  any  way,  intellect- 
ually or  otherwise.  To  all  who  honestly  say 
this  I  reply :  Your  difficulties  are  increased, 
but  do  not  be  discouraged.  Go  on  reading  ;  go 
to  public  libraries,  if  you  can,  and  consult  their 
books  of  reference  ;  do  not  be  too  proud  to  ask 
your  richer  neighbor  to  let  you  look  at  his 
books  ;  get  up  a  club  if  possible,  and  by  small 
joint  contributions  raise  enough  money  to  buy 
your  own  books  ;  but  if  all  these  plans  fail,  go 
on  reading,  even  if  you  do  not  understand  all ; 
one  book  will  undoubtedly  help  you  to  under- 
stand another,  and  ask  questions  wherever  you 
can  do  so  with  profit  to  yourself.  Wherever 
you  may  meet  with  information  seize  it  at  once. 
Go  through  the  world  as  Paddy  goes  through 
Donnybrook  Fair  ;  wherever  you  see  a  head, 
hit  it !  You  will  be  astonished  to  find  how 
much  information  you  will  obtain  in  rational 
conversation,  in   the  daily  papers,  and  in    the 


40  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

occurrences  of  every-day  life.  Moreover,  there 
are  cheap  editions  of  books  which  may  be  ob- 
tained at  a  very  trifling  expense.  A  good 
school  dictionary  can  be  bought  for  one  dollar, 
and  a  very  fair  atlas  for  three  dollars.  These 
will  serve  your  purpose  till  you  can  get  the 
more  expensive  editions.  They  will  furnish  an 
immense  amount  of  information,  and  shake  off 
that  feeling  about  poverty.  If  God  has  given 
you  poverty,  accept  it  as  a  blessing  ;  it  surely 
is  no  curse,  since  it  is  sent  by  Divine  love  Use 
it  well  and  there  will  be  no  sting  in  it.  Let  no 
American,  with  life  before  him,  be  discouraged. 
Use  the  mind  that  God  has  given  you,  work 
hard,  wear  a  shabby  coat  if  need  be,  save  your 
pennies,  give  one  to  those  poorer  than  yourself, 
and  put  the  other  by  for  books.  Or,  if  two 
cents  are  beyond  you  just  now,  work  and  think, 
and  read  when  you  can,  and  thank  God  for 
your  reason,  your  country,  and  for  your  shabby 
coat.  It  has  been  said  of  America  that  in  no 
other  country  are  there  so  few  men  of  great 
learning,  or   so   few  men   of  great  ignorance. 


How  Shall  I  Read?  41 

"The  stock  of  American  knowledge  is  small, 
but  it  is  spread  throughout  all  classes."  In- 
crease this  stock  if  you  can,  but  if  you  cannot, 
at  least  help  to  spread  it. 

But  there  are  many  who  can  easily  afford  to 
buy  the  books  I  have  mentioned,  and  there  are 
many  others  who  can  easily  save  the  amount 
from  their  indulgences  ;  and  again,  others  who 
can  earn  enough  for  the  same  purpose  by  a 
little  extra  work.  To  all  such  I  most  earnestly 
appeal.  Buy  a  good  encyclopedia,  a  good  atlas, 
a  good  dictionary,  and  hold  power  in  your 
hand.  What  hardship  would  it  be  to  wear 
pearl  stud-buttons  instead  of  gold,  to  wear 
merino  instead  of  silk,  to  use  glass  salt-cellars 
instead  of  silver,  to  walk  instead  of  to  ride,  to 
make  the  old  carpet  last  another  year  longer,  or 
the  dress-coat  see  a  little  harder  service  than 
you  originally  intended  it  should  .-'  Small  self- 
denials  are  trifles — deny  yourself  and  get  knowl- 
edge, for  knowledge  is  power. 

All  workmen  require  suitable  tools.  What 
would  you  think  of  a  carpenter  who  came  for  a 


42  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

day's  work  bringing  only  a  gimlet  with  him,  or 
a  dress-maker  who  owned  no  thimble  ?  Yet,  to 
have  a  real  desire  for  information  and  never  to 
refer  to  the  proper  sources  would  be  very  near- 
ly as  absurd.  I  want  to  impress  on  every  in- 
telligent young  reader  the  necessity  of  owning 
a  good  dictionary,  a  good  atlas,  and  a  good 
encyclopedia.  Not  that  I  expect  you  to  read 
them  persistently,  for  you  might  say  with  the 
old  Scotchman,  who  criticised  the  dictionary, 
that  it  contained  "  braw  stories,  but  unco 
short." 

Nor  do  I  want  you  to  "  cram,"  as  school  boys 
say,  for  the  sake  of  showing  off,  like  the  dinner 
guest  that  Dr.  Holmes  tells  us  of,  who  could  talk 
rationally  and  well  on  all  subjects  beginning 
with  A  or  B,  but  was  totally  ignorant  beyond 
that  letter,  having  "  crammed"  from  his  encyclo- 
pedia for  the  occasion.  To  read  for  the  pur- 
pose of  showing  off  is  simply  detestable  ;  it  is 
beneath  notice. 

The  encyclopedia  may  be  abused,  but  that 
is    no  reason   why  it  should  not  be  used.     It 


Hoiv  Shall  I  Read?  43 

should  be  used,  and  constantly  referred  to. 
Dr.  Holmes  also  mentions  his  "four  extensive 
cyclopedias  " — "  Out  of  these  I  can  get  infor- 
mation enough  to  serve  my  immediate  purpose 
on  almost  any  subject,"  he  says. 

When  you  read  have  a  pencil  in  your  hand, 
and  a  note-book  not  far  off,  and  write  down  all 
questions  that  trouble  you.  Then  when  you 
have  finished  your  reading  for  the  day  turn 
to  your  dictionary — Webster's  unabridged,  or 
Worcester's,  I  recommend  for  young  Ameri- 
cans— and  find  the  meaning  of  every  word  that 
you  have  not  fully  understood  ;  and,  as  Captain 
Cuttle  says,  "  when  found  make  a  note  of" 
Perhaps  you  do  not  know  who  Captain  Cuttle 
is  .''  We  will  come  to  him  by  and  by.  Write 
down  the  meaning  of  the  word  opposite  the 
question  in  your  note-book,  thus  : 

Party  conirahe7it?  (Latin.  Contrahe7is,  p.  pr. 
of  contrahere.  See  contract})  Entering  into 
covenant,  contracting ;  as  contrahent  parties. 
Obsolete.  That  answers  the  question,  you  see, 
at  once,  and  if  you  want  to  know  any   more 


44  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

about  it  you  must  turn  to  the  word  contract  in 
the  same  dictionary,  and  there  you  will  find  all 
that  can  be  said  about  it.  Having  done  which 
you  are  just  so  much  wiser  than  you  were  be- 
fore. You  know  the  meaning  of  the  term  party 
contrahent ;  you  also  know  that  Webster  pro- 
nounces it  obsolete,  that  is,  gone  out  of  use,  not 
common,  and  this  fact  may  reconcile  you  to 
what  you  had  supposed  your  own  ignorance  in 
not  understanding  it  at  once.  So  you  take 
courage  and  proceed,  and,  having  found  out  all 
the  hard  words  in  the  dictionary  that  you  re- 
quire, you  turn  to  your  encyclopedia,  and  oppo- 
site the  subjects  that  have  puzzled  you,  and 
which  you  have  noted  in  your  book,  you  write 
thus  : 

Smalcaldic  League.  .  .  .  The  Union,  con- 
cluded March,  1531,  by  nine  Protestant  princes 
and  counts,  and  eleven  free  cities,  for  the  mu- 
tual defense  of  their  faith  and  political  inde- 
pendence against  Charles  V.  and  the  Catholic 
States,  at  Smalkalden,  in  Henneberg,  at  first  for 
six  years,  etc.     (See  Reformation.) 


How  Shall  I  Read?  45 

Now  having  found  out  the  meaning  of  party 
contraJient  and  Smalcaldic  League,  you  are 
able  fully  to  understand  what  Mr.  James  An- 
thony Froude  means  in  the  sentence  which 
plagued  you  so.  If  you  need  further  informa- 
tion you  see  "  Reformation,"  which  means,  look 
at  the  article  headed  "  Reformation,"  and  there 
you  will  see  more  written  about  the  same  sub- 
ject. So  we  inform  ourselves.  It  is  but  little 
trouble,  and  what  rich  results  !  You  may  want 
to  know  about  the  simplest  every-day  matters. 
You  will  find  them  in  your  encyclopedia.  Per- 
haps you  may  require  information  on  some  very 
difficult  subject.  You  will  get  it  by  applying 
to  the  same  friend.  Do  you  not  see  the  very 
great  benefit  you  will  receive  from  owning  a 
friend  well  informed,  and  able  and  willing  to 
answer  all  your  questions  .-' 

If  you  follow  this  plan  you  will  be  astonished 
at  the  rapidity  with  which  your  stock  of  knowl- 
edge will  increase.  You  do  not  know  when 
you  may  need  it  ;  store  it  up. 

Daniel  Webster  used  his  note-book,  as  I  ad- 


46  What  Shall  I  Read? 

vise  you  to  use  yours.  On  one  occasion  being 
complimented  on  a  very  beautiful  illustration 
he  had  made  use  of  in  a  speech,  he  replied  fliat 
it  had  occurred  to  him  twenty  years  before  that 
time  ;  that  he  had  made  a  note  of  it,  but  never 
had  occasion  to  use  it  till  then. 

Webster  used  to  say,  "  Men  give  me  some 
credit  for  genius.  All  the  genius  I  have  lies 
in  this  :  when  I  have  a  subject  in  hand  I  study 
it  profoundly  ;  day  and  night  it  is  before  me.  I 
explore  it  in  all  its  bearings.  My  mind  be- 
comes pervaded  with  it.  Then  the  effort  which 
I  make  the  people  are  pleased  to  call  the  fruit 
of  genius.     It  is  the  fruit  of  labor  and  thought." 

"  Genius  is  eternal  patience." 

Perhaps  it  is  easier  for  you  to  see  the  need  of 
a  dictionary  and  encyclopedia  than  of  an  atlas. 
But  you  really  need  an  atlas  if  you  read  history 
or  books  of  travel.  It  is  essential  that  you 
should  have  a  clear  picture  in  your  mind  of  the 
place  about  which  you  are  reading.  A  vague 
idea  of  any  country  will  confuse  you  more  than 
you  are  aware  of  You  must  know  its  geograph- 


How  Shall  I  Read?  47 

ical  position  if  you  would  fully  appreciate  the 
book  you  enjoy.  If,  for  instance,  you  are  read- 
ing about  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  look  at  your 
atlas,  and  see  the  exact  spot  where  they  landed. 
It  will  help  you  to  appreciate  their  lives,  and  to 
understand  their  fortitude,  when  you  once  fully 
understand  that  they  did  indeed  land  upon  "  a 
stern  and  rock- bound  coast." 

Looking  at  the  atlas  fixes  the  fact  in  your 
memory ;  you  no  longer  have  a  general  impres- 
sion that  they  landed  "  all  along  shore." 

Who  would  be  willing  to  read  an  account  of 
the  American  Revolution,  or  the  "  Life  of 
George  Washington,"  and  never  look  at  a  map 
of  the  United  States  .-'  No  young  American,  I 
hope  and  trust !  The  names  of  places  convey 
little  or  no  idea  to  the  mind.  Washington 
crossed  the  Delaware.  Ah  !  indeed !  He 
might  as  well  have  crossed  the  Hoboken  ferry 
for  all  the  difference  it  makes  to  me,  unless 
I  know  where  the  Delaware  is.  Knowing  that, 
I  know  why  he  crossed  it,  and  how.  But  the 
name  Delaware  is  no  more  interesting  to  me 


48  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

than  the  name  Hoboken.  Get  the  location  of 
the  Delaware  firmly  fixed  in  your  mind  by  look- 
ing at  your  atlas  and  see  if  it  does  not  increase 
your  interest.  Make  a  habit  of  referring  con- 
stantly to  your  atlas,  and  do  not  be  content 
with  a  vague  and  general  idea  of  places. 

"  O,  it  takes  so  much  time  ! "  perhaps  you  say. 
"If  we  were  to  look  out  all  the  places  we  read 
about  we  never  should  get  through  a  book ! 
Dear  me  !  Why }  Only  think  !  You  have 
told  us  first  to  look  in  a  dictionary  and  find  out 
the  meaning  of  all  the  hard  words,  then  to  look 
in  the  encyclopedia,  and  find  out  all  about  the 
subjects  referred  to  in  our  day's  reading,  and 
now  you  tell  us  to  look  in  an  atlas,  and  find 
out  the  geographical  position  of  all  the  places 
we  are  reading  about.  It  seems  that  we  are 
always  to  read  four  books  at  a  time !  " 

No.  You  are  only  to  read  one  book  at  a 
time,  but  you  are  to  refer  to  three  others.  Sup- 
pose it  does  take  a  long  time  to  read  one 
book.  That  one  book  slowly  read  and  well 
understood  is  worth  more  than  ten  books  caie- 


How  Shall  I  Read?  49 

lessly  glanced  at.  The  object  of  reading  is  to 
gain  information,  not  to  hold  a  book  in  your 
hand  and  run  your  eye  over  its  pages.  If  you 
are  hungry  it  would  scarcely  satisfy  you  to  sit 
at  a  well-filled  table  and  glance  at  the  dishes. 
You  would  not  like  to  do  this,  and  then  hurry 
away  to  another  feast  with  the  same  result. 
You  would  greatly  prefer  not  to  hurry,  and  if 
you  found  good  palatable  food  at  the  table,  you 
would  remain  until  your  hunger  was  satisfied. 
So,  in  reading  a  book — if  it  is  a  good  book, 
and  one  that  suits  you — do  not  hurry ;  satisfy 
yourself  with  it.  As  one  of  the  Collects  in  the 
Episcopal  Prayer  Book  says,  "  Read,  mark, 
learn,  and  inwardly  digest "  it. 

You  must  read  patiently  if  you  would  read 
intelligently.  Do  not  be  eager  to  read  many 
books.  Remember  the  old  fable  of  the  boy  and 
the  filberts.  When  he  grasped  too  many,  he 
could  not  withdraw  his  hand  from  the  jar  in 
which  they  were  ;  but  when  he  contented  him- 
self with  a  few,  he  was  able  to  obtain  them 

easily. 
4 


50  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

Do  not  read  rapidly ;  you  must  think  over 
your  book.  Why  should  you  let  the  author  do 
all  the  thinking  for  you  ?  It  is  impossible  to 
follow  another's  mind  rapidly.  Read,  and  re- 
read, 'before  you  criticise  your  author,  or  allow 
him  to  influence  you.  You  may  entirely  fail 
to  grasp  his  meaning  by  reading  rapidly. 
Be  very  sure  you  understand  what  it  is  he 
intends  to  say,  and  then  form  your  judgment 
slowly. 

All  difficulties  in  reading  can  be  overcome 
by  patience,  and  so,  in  answer  to  the  question, 
How  shall  I  read  .-*  I  reply,  Slowly,  patiently  and 
intelligently. 


What  Shall  I  Read?  $1 


CHAPTER  IV. 

WHAT    SHALL    I    READ  ? 

tHIS  is  one  of  your  greatest  difficulties  ;  you 
do  not  know  what  to  read.  Those  who 
have  written  on  this  theme  say,  "  Read  on 
any  subject  that  interests  you,  and  make  a 
beginning ; "  but  my  experience  goes  to  show 
that  you  will  not  know — just  at  first — what  does 
interest  you.  You  are  ready  to  be  interested  in 
any  thing,  you  are  open  to  a  suggestion,  but 
have  no  definite  aim  or  wish  in  the  matter; 
you  want  somebody  to  tell  you  what  to  read 
and  nobody  will.  You  are  like  a  friend  of  mine 
who  had  a  journey  to  take.  She  heard  that  she 
could  avoid  a  long  and  disagreeable  part  of  it 
by  crossing  a  certain  ferry,  and  making  her  way 
to  a  depot,  through  an  unfrequented  part  of  the 
town. 

The  ferry  was  crossed  at  an  early  hour  in  the 
morning,    and    she   hurried   along    the    empty 


52  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

streets,  looking  in  vain  for  the  depot.  Time 
was  passing,  she  was  evidently  on  the  wrong 
road,  yet  she  had  no  idea  how  to  reach  the 
right  one.  She  dared  not  turn  back,  for  now 
it  was  too  late;  she  would  inevitably  lose  her 
train  if  she  did.  The  depot  must  be  near  ;  if  she 
only  knew  which  way  to  turn  she  could  prob- 
ably reach  it  in  a  few  minutes.  O  for  a  friend- 
ly voice  to  guide  her  ! 

A  milkman  approached  with  his  shaky,  rat- 
tling cart,  and  startled  the  echoes  of  that  quiet 
suburb  with  the  yell  peculiar  to  the  merchants 
who  deal  in  that  mild  article  of  diet,  and  which 
always  makes  one  wonder  if  the  legitimate  effect 
of  early  rising  and  pastoral  scenes  is  to  develop 
all  the  savage  in  human  nature. 

My  friend  was  desperate  ;  she  raised  her  fore- 
finger, as  though  hailing  an  omnibus,  and  the 
milkman,  regarding  her  in  the  light  of  a  new  cus- 
tomer, reined  in  his  horse  for  one  short  moment. 
She  must  speak  quickly  if  at  all. 

"  I  say,  man  ! "  she  cried,  "  where  am  I  go- 
insr  ? " 


What  Shall  I  Read?  53 

"  Really,  marm,  I  can't  say,"  was  his  reply 
as  he  jerked  his  reins  impatiently  and  rattled 
off  again,  leaving  the  bewildered  lady  to  hei 
fate. 

Ah !  there  are  very  few  who  are  willing  to 
stop  and  help  us  by  the  way-side,  and  very  few 
who  can,  even  if  they  would.  If  we  keep  our 
wits  about  us  and  ask  intelligently,  we  may 
receive  information  ;  but  if  we  only  ask  vague 
questions  we  need  not  expect  any  definite 
answers.  And  your  difficulty  is,  that  you 
want  to  ask  a  vague  question  and  receive  a 
prompt,  intelligent,  and  helpful  reply.  Some 
will  reply,  to  be  sure,  and  yet  their  suggestions, 
though  clever  enough  in  their  way,  are  not 
valuable  to  us. 

Another  friend  of  mine  once  went  at  Christ- 
mas-time to  select  a  present  for  her  dearest 
one.  Her  heart  was  very  large  and  generous, 
but  her  purse  was  very  small  and  narrow.  She 
wandered  about  from  store  to  store,  trying  to 
find  something  elegant,  useful,  and  charming, 
which  should  still  be  within  the  limits  of  this 


54  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

purse.  Generosity  dared  every  thing,  but 
economy  said,  "  Beware ! "  The  well-filled 
stores  were  delightful,  but  distracting,  the  very 
richness  of  her  surroundings  embarrassed  her, 
and  the  struggle  between  her  wishes  and  her 
ability  to  fulfill  them,  created  confusion  in  her 
usually  serene  mind.  At  last  she  went  into  a 
gorgeous  establishment,  and  addressed  herself 
dreamily  to  the  brisk  owner. 

"  Have  you  what  I  want  ? "  she  said  in  her 
sweet  voice. 

"  What  do  you  want,  madam  .-"  "  was  the  not 
unnatural  reply. 

"  Something  for  a  gentleman,"  she  answered, 
and  her  eyes  followed  the  direction  of  his  hand, 
which  waved  toward  dressing  cases  richly  orna- 
mented with  gold  and  silver,  dressing  gowns 
elaborately  trimmed,  extravagant  sleigh  robes, 
riding  whips,  astounding  cravats,  smoking  caps, 
and  articles  any  one  of  which  would  have  cost 
her  a  quarter's  income.  More  and  more  dreamy 
grew  her  bright  eyes,  more  and  more  undecided 
her  gentle  voice. 


What  Shall  I  Read?  55 

"  Something  for  a  j/^?^«^  gentleman,"  she  ex- 
plained.    "  Some  little  thing." 

"  Pocket-comb  1  "  suggested  the  shop-keeper, 
with  a  readiness  that  showed  ability  to  cope 
with  life,  reducing  vagueness  of  purpose  to 
tangible  results. 

'*  Ah  !  Yes  !  Very  good  !  Give  me  a  pocket- 
comb,"  answered  the  lady  with  a  sigh  of  relief. 
Not  that  a  pocket-comb  was  desirable  as  a 
Christmas  present,  nor  in  any  way  needed  by 
her  dearest  one  ;  but  it  was  the  first  definite  sug- 
gestion that  had  been  made  to  her  perplexed 
mind,  and  she  departed  gratefully  with  the 
pocket-comb,  which,  I  grieve  to  say,  was  less 
gratefully  received  by  the  dearest  one. 

This  is  very  much  your  condition,  is  it  not  "i 
You  look  at  the  innumerable  quantity  of  books 
by  which  you  are  surrounded,  and  you  feel  con- 
fused, there  are  so  many,  they  are  all  so  good, 
too  good  for  your  capacity  ! 

"I  want  something  for  z. young  person,"  you 
say,  "  some  little  thing,"  and  you  would  gladly 
avail    yourself   of   any    suggestion    offered    for 


56  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

your  benefit.  So  I  think  what  you  would  hke 
to  say  to  me  now  is  this  : 

"  You  have  told  us  that  we  are  to  read  in 
order  to  develop  our  minds  for  the  bdnefit  of 
our  fellow-beings,  and  that  we  must  do  this 
conscientiously,  slowly,  patiently,  and  intelli- 
gently. We  are  willing  to  try  ;  but  we  do  not 
know  what  to  read.  So  we  rely  upon  you  to 
tell  us  .? " 

This  throws  a  great  responsibility  upon  me, 
for  I  do  not  want  to  send  you  all  off  with  pock- 
et-combs, as  it  were  ;  in  fact,  my  care  is  more 
for  the  inside  of  your  heads  than  the  outside  ; 
yet,  as  I  do  not  and  cannot  know  you  individu- 
ally, and  as  your  minds  are  not  all  alike,  it  is 
almost  an  impossibility  to  make  suggestions 
that  would  be  useful  to  all.  Still,  I  would  not, 
like  the  milkman,  leave  you  alone  in  your  diffi- 
culties, and  though  I  cannot  tell  the  exact  road 
you  each  intend  to  travel,  I  can,  perhaps,  in- 
terpret some  part  of  your  vague  questions  by 
the  need  I  felt  when  I  was  young,  and  I 
can  say,  "  If  you  turn  such  and  such  a  corner 


W/mt  Shall  I  Read'?  57 

you  will  see  the  temple  of  knowledge  in  the 
distance." 

My  great  difficulty  was  that  I  read  with  no 
definite  aim  nor  established  plan,  and,  therefore, 
I  became  confused.  I  confounded  kings  of  the 
same  name,  and  placed  in  the  same  age  men 
who  lived  at  remote  periods  from  each  other. 
I  never  could  remember  contemporaneous  mon- 
archs,  and  my  mind  was  a  good  deal  like  an  old 
rag  bag.  I  could  pull  out  a  red  rag,  or  a  blue 
rag,  or  a  white  rag,  as  I  needed  to  use  it  ;  but 
nothing  was  well  arranged  and  nothing  was  very 
useful — it  was  a  tangle.  Now  a  rag  bag  is  bet- 
ter than  nothing,  but  a  well-arranged,  orderly 
drawer  Is  better  than  a  rag  bag. 

The  only  way  that  I  can  meet  this  difficulty 
for  you  is  to  give  you  the  reign  of  some  one 
monarch  as  a  starting-point.  You  must  read 
carefully  all  that  one  good  history  says  about 
that  monarch.  Then,  after  finding  out  who 
were  the  great  men  of  his  time,  read  about 
them.  Then  read  about  all  the  contemporane- 
ous monarchs  and  their  reigns,  so  that  you  will 


58  What  Shall  I  Read? 

know  just  who  they  all  were.  Then  the  liv^es 
of  the  principal  statesmen  in  all  countries  who 
lived  during  those  reigns.  Then  the  best 
authors,  poets,  artists,  men  of  science,  and 
philanthropists,  who  gave  the  tone  to  that  age. 
Then  you  must  find  out  the  great  discoveries 
and  read  about  them,  and  the  chief  manufac- 
tures of  the  day,  and  by  the  time  you  have 
read  as  much  as  that  you  will  be  tolerably  well 
informed  about  that  age,  and  can  pass  on  to 
the  next. 

"  Why,"  you  say,  "  it  will  take  us  a  whole 
life-time  to  read  about  one  century,  especially 
if  we  must  consult  our  dictionaries,  and  ency- 
clopedias, and  atlases  as  we  go  along ! " 

It  will  not  take  as  long  as  you  think,  be- 
cause I  shall  only  give  you  a  short  account  of 
each  king.  That  one  account  you  must  read 
carefully,  remember !  very  slowly  and  carefully  ! 
Then  I  will  try  to  select  such  biographies  as 
are  interesting  ;  they  need  not  any  of  them  be 
long.  Some  may  perhaps  occupy  only  a  few 
pages  of  a  small  book.     If  you  read  carefully  it 


What  Shall  I  Read?  59 

will  be  enough  for  your  present  use.  Try  the 
plan  ;  I  think  you  will  not  find  it  a  poor  one. 
There  are  some  books  that  combine  history 
and  biography,  and  you  are  reading  both  sub- 
jects at  the  same  time.  When  I  give  you  such 
a  book  take  a  great  deal  of  time  to  read  it  The 
"  History  of  the  Dutch  Republic  "  is  such  a 
book.  It  tells  you  more  than  any  other  five  I 
might  give  you.  So  do  not  hurry  to  finish  it ; 
read  it  very  slowly,  and  when  you  have  done 
so  you  will  be  well-informed  on  more  subjects 
than  one. 

Then,  again,  a  great  many  men  have  lived 
and  died,  and  made  a  stir  in  the  world,  and  had 
volumes  written  about  them,  whose  lives  are 
not  especially  useful  to  you  ;  such  biographies 
we  will  omit.  You  will  know  when  these  men 
lived  by  reading  history  ;  but  if  their  lives  never 
effected  any  good  purpose,  it  is  better  not  to 
take  time  to  read  about  them  at  length.  Voltaire 
was  such  a  man.  You  will  know  all  you  need 
to  about  him  in  reading  the  life  of  Frederick 
the  Great ;  that  is,  you  will  know  when  he  lived, 


6o  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

and  that  he  was  what  is  called  an  infidel.  His 
thoughts  were  clearly  expressed,  and  he  was  a 
talented  man  ;  but  he  never  advanced  his  age, 
his  peculiar  views  never  led  to  any  good  result, 
his  influence  was  injurious,  and  so  we  will  not 
waste  a  great  deal  of  time  over  him.  There 
are  other  lives  full  of  interest — lives  of  men  who 
shook  the  world,  like  Luther.  Luther  acted, 
where  other  men  talked  ;  Luther  stands  out  in 
history  prominently.  By  all  means  read  all 
you  can  about  him,  find  out  all  you  may  about 
him,  study  his  character,  see  what  circum- 
stances went  to  form  it.  Read  about  his  child- 
hood, therefore,  and  try  to  trace  his  gradual 
development.  This  is  a  life  to  be  read  very 
carefully ;  it  is  worth  a  thousand  such  lives 
as  that  of  Voltaire,  or  of  any  man  who  went 
through  the  world,  saying,  in  the  language  of 
modern  slang,  '*  Why  is  this  thus  .-*  "  and  never 
giving  any  reasonable  reply  to  a  senseless 
question. 

When  you  are  older,  and  your  views  of  life 
are  clearer,  and  your  opinions  more  settled,  you 


W/ial  Shall  I  Read?  6i 

may  read  many  a  book  that  would  not  be  good 
for  you  now,  I  do  not  say,  never  read  about 
Voltaire  ;  for  instance,  the  time  may  come 
when  you  may  find  such  a  life  useful  to  you 
But  now,  while  you  have  so  much  to  learn,  it  is 
better  to  confine  yourselves  to  what  you  need 
for  the  present.  So  there  will  not  be  as  many 
books  to  read  as  you  think,  and  you  need  not 
be  "discouraged  because  of  the  way." 

What  I  want  you  to  do  is  to  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  real  history  of  the  age  you 
decide  to  study.  This  will  not  be  found,  as 
many  think,  in  the  lives  of  kings,  and  accounts 
of  their  battles.  Perhaps  that  is  the  least  im- 
portant part  of  the  history,  for  the  kings  were 
swayed  and  governed  by  the  progress  of  events  ; 
they  did  not  control  the  destinies  of  their  race  ; 
they  moved  with  the  race,  with  their  times,  and 
were  as  puppets  in  the  great  drama  of  the  world. 

But  I  give  you  their  reigns  as  a  point  from 
which  to  start  as  a  definite  suggestion.  For 
instance,  if  you  read  about  the  French  mon- 
archs  who  lived  just  before  the  Revolution,  you 


62  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

will  not  find  any  thing  very  elevating  in  their 
personal  lives,  nor  in  the  doings  of  their  courts, 
but  you  will  see  how  the  selfishness,  folly,  ex- 
travagance, and  vice  of  the  nobles  gradually 
wrought  their  destruction  by  irritating  the 
populace,  or  rather  by  maddening  the  oppressed 
people.  Little  by  little,  as  the  age  progressed, 
and  the  minds  of  men  worked  out  great  prob- 
lems, the  monarchs  who  despised  the  common 
thoughtful  men,  were  overthrown  by  those  they 
had  scorned.  You  will  see  how  the  American 
Revolution  influenced  these  thinkers,  and  in 
tracing  the  chain  of  influences  that  led  to  great 
results,  you  will  become  deeply  interested. 
Such  reading  expands  the  mind.  It  is  not 
only  the  fact  you  learn  about,  but  all  the  cir- 
cumstances that  made  that  fact  what  it  was. 

Perhaps  you  will  be  surprised  to  find  that 
I  have  given  you  some  novels  in  the  course 
I  have  laid  out  for  you.  You  need  not  hes- 
itate to  read  them  ;  they  are  good  and  useful 
books,  and  will  not  only  interest  you,  but  help 
you  to  remember  what  it  is  best  you  should. 


W/iat  Shall  I  Read?  63 

And  perhaps  you  will  be  indignant  because  I 
occasionally  refer  you  to  a  child's  book,  like 
Dickens'  "  History  of  England."  You  need  not 
be  indignant ;  many  a  mature  mind  avails  itself 
of  little  helps.  Do  you  not  know  some  older 
people  who  remember  the  days  of  the  months 
by  the  nursery  rhyme,  "  Thirty  days  hath  Sep- 
tember," etc.  ;  or  the  kings  of  England  by  that 
other  rhyme  beginning,  "  First  William  the  Nor- 
man, then  William  his  son  .-' "  It  is  said  of  one 
of  our  greatest  statesmen  that  he  used  the  little 
child's  prayer,  "  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep," 
till  his  dying  day.  I  do  not  doubt  he  was  a 
better  man  for  it.  Do  not  be  ashamed  of  any 
thing  that  helps  you ;  it  is  a  mistake  to  suppose 
that  wisdom  is  only  to  be  found  in  big  books. 

Remember,  that  in  giving  you  the  course 
which  is  in  this  volume  I  only  indicate  a  plan. 
There  may  be  many  who  know  what  books  are 
best  for  them,  who  are  interested  in  some  one 
particular  subject,  and  if  this  is  the  case,  then  I 
advise  such  to  read  on  those  subjects  instead 
of  following  the  course.     But  be  conscientious 


64  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

and  systematic.  Do  not  skim  over  a  book  and 
call  that  reading  it  ;  and  do  not  read  only  the 
novels  and  omit  the  history.  Inform  yourself 
fully  on  whatever  subject  interests  you.  Look 
upon  your  book  as  a  friend,  and  make  a  wise 
selection  ;  for  books,  even  those  read  carelessly, 
make  a  deep  and  lasting  impression,  and  you 
should  be  as  careful  of  their  influence  as  of  that 
of  a  living  being.  You  would  not,  I  hope,  be 
willing  to  associate  familiarly  with  a  coarse, 
vulgar,  profane,  or  flippant  man  ;  you  would 
recognize  at  once  that  his  influence  would  be 
bad  for  you.  Then  why  should  you  allow  the 
same  influence  to  govern  you  through  a  book  ? 
If  you  recognize  the  fact  that  your  lives  are  in- 
fluenced by  your  reading,  you  will  be  very  care- 
ful. Many  a  boy  has  left  his  home,  and  gone 
to  sea,  acting  under  a  spell  thrown  over  him 
by  some  interesting  tale  of  adventure  on  the 
ocean.  It  is  a  very  bitter  reality  that  he  en- 
counters, and  he  learns  too  late  the  fatal  power 
of  the  exciting  romance  which  held  up  such 
alluring  and  deceitful  pictures  to  his  eye. 


What  Shall  I  Read  1  65 

And  many  a  young  mind  makes  shipwreck 
of  faith,  and  love,  and  holiness,  by  a  presump- 
tuous spirit,  which  dares  to  read  books  far 
beyond  its  comprehension.  It  accepts  argu- 
ment for  fact,  and,  fascinated  by  a  well-written 
book,  and  proud  of  what  it  considers  intel- 
lectual strength,  it  slights  the  simple  old  story, 
and  struggles  blindly  with  half-comprehended 
theories. 

I  would  warn  all  my  young  friends  very  earn- 
estly against  the  spirit  of  conceit  in  reading. 
It  is  natural  to  some  to  be  proud,  because  their 
minds  are  somewhat  better  than  the  average, 
and  they  select  their  books  with  a  disposition 
to  astonish  those  about  them  with  their  learn- 
ing. Now  this  is  just  as  snobbish  as  to  choose 
a  friend  because  his  social  position  is  better 
than  your  own,  to  boast  of  such  an  intimacy, 
and  parade  it  before  your  humbler  friends. 
Such  conduct  is  contemptible  we  all  admit, 
yet  how  often  we  see  it !  What  struggles  are 
made  to  live  as  our  richer  neighbor  lives,  to 
dress  as  he  dresses,  to  appear  as  well  in  the 


66  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

world  as  he  does !  And  to  effect  this,  or  to 
make  it  worth  while,  one  must  cultivate  an 
intimacy  with  the  neighbor,  no  matter  what  the 
difference  in  circumstances  or  position  may  be. 

This  is  a  very  humiliating  posture  to  assume. 
It  is  being  untrue  to  yourself,  and  I  think  you 
will  all  agree  in  despising  such  shallow  ambition. 

But  to  aspire  to  a  literary  reputation  and  to 
achieve  success  with  the  undiscerning,  because 
you  read  a  few  books  which  are  far  beyond 
your  comprehension,  is  just  about  the  same 
thing.  You  can  boast  of  having  read  ponder- 
ous volumes,  you  can  quote  with  more  or  less 
readiness  the  dimly  understood  words  of  pro- 
found thinkers,  but  that  will  not  help  to  make 
j^ou  a  profound  thinker  !  Ten  minutes  in  the 
society  of  an  intellectual  man  will  reveal  your 
shallow  pretensions  ! 

Cultivate  an  independence  of  mind,  not  that 
you  may  astonish  your  friends  with  a  declara- 
tion of  the  same,  as  boys  celebrate  our  national 
holiday  with  fire-crackers,  but  that  you  may 
really   de    independent,  and  capable  of  ruling 


What  Shall  I  Read?  67 

your  own  mind  wisely  and  well  without  fear  of 
criticism,  love  of  praise,  or  pride  of  intellect. 
Do  not  aim  to  be  a  brilliant  thinker,  but  thi7ik  ; 
if  there  is  any  light  in  you  it  will  shine,  never 
fear !  All  you  have  to  do  is  to  keep  your  light 
burning,  and  leave  others  to  discover  whether 
it  is  a  penny  taper  or  a  calcium  light.  Both 
are  useful  in  the  world,  but  a  sky  rocket  is  not 
especially  so.  Celebrate  your  independence  if 
you  please,  but  do  so  with  as  little  noise  and  as 
steady  and  clear  a  light  as  may  be. 

I  said  that  false  shame  was  the  destruction 
of  a  mind,  but  conceit  is  equally  dangerous. 
Guard  against  it,  and  remember  that  humility 
is  the  true  fruit  of  knowledge.  Never  read  "  for 
appearances." 

"This  is  all  very  good  advice,"  you  say,  "but 
it  is  not  telling  us  what  to  read." 

Well,  then  I  will  speak  very  plainly.  "  Read 
what  speaks  to  your  heart  and  mind."  Do  not 
read  what  tickles  your  fancy  only.  Remember 
always  that  you  are  accountable  to  your  Creator 
for  the  mind  he  has  given  you,  and  avoid  a  book 


68  What  Shall  I  Read? 

of  bad  influence  as  you  would  a  dose  of  poison. 
Whatever  helps  you  to  understand  your  fel- 
low-man is  good  reading  ;  whatever  chills  your 
enthusiasm  for  virtue  is  bad  reading.  What- 
ever awakens  your  faith  in  nobleness  and  hero- 
ism is  good  reading ;  whatever  sneers  at  faith 
and  fervor  is  bad  reading. 

Is  this  enough  ?  "  No,"  you  say.  "  There  is 
still  another  question  we  want  to  ask  you.  We 
do  not  always  feel  able  to  read  with  close 
attention  ;  sometimes  we  are  sick,  or  tired,  and 
cannot  make  a  mental  effort ;  can  we  never 
read  simply  for  amusement } " 

Certainly  you  can,  and  may,  and  must.  I  am 
particularly  anxious  that  you  should  not  misun- 
derstand me  in  this  matter.  There  are  many 
hours  which  are  only  well  employed  in  reading 
for  amusement — hours  when  the  mind  is  weary 
of  long-continued  effort,  and  yet  refuses  to  be 
quieted  in  sleep — ours  when  the  body  is  ex- 
hausted, or  listless  through  pain,  and  can  be 
charmed  to  rest  only  through  the  soothing  in- 
fluence of  an  amusing  book.     There  are  times, 


What  Shall  I  Read?  69 

also,  when  the  mind  is  incapable  of  making  an 
effort.  It  would  be  stupid  and  pedantic  to  force 
it  at  such  times.  Of  course  you  may  read  for 
amusement,  and  there  are  many  books  written 
that  will  amuse  you  well.  Nobody  has  ever  yet 
been  hurt  by  a  good  hearty  laugh  ;  and  a  clever 
book  that  makes  you  laugh  is  a  good,  kind 
friend,  and  one  you  should  always  try  to  keep 
by  your  side.  But  you  must  bring  your  con- 
science into  the  matter,  even  when  you  read  for 
the  merest  relaxation. 

Be  sure  that  the  laughter  bubbles  from  a  pure 
spring.  The  coarse  jest  book,  the  profane  song 
book,  the  undignified  caricature,  should  never 
make  you  laugh. 

But  there  are  books  which  are  perfectly  pure, 
over  which  you  may  laugh  till  you  forget  your 
headache,  and  all  the  minor  woes  of  life.  I 
will  give  you  a  list  of  such  books  in  this  volume 
under  the  head  of  "  Books  of  Amusement." 

Never  feel  as  though  it  were  a  waste  of  time 
to  read  for  amusement.  I  should  be  very  sorry  to 
have  you  think  so.  We  all  love  sunlight  and  flow- 


yo  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

ers,  and  sweet  things,  and  laughter,  and  gayety. 
It  is  a  perverted  or  diseased  nature  that  does  not 
love  them.  We  should  be  dreary  enough  with- 
out them,  and  so  our  minds  would  be  dreary  and 
dull  without  books  of  amusement. 

But  just  as  we  love  the  sunlight,  yet  do  not 
sit  idly  basking  in  it,  so  we  must  love  our  amuse- 
ment, yet  work  pretty  hard  too  ;  and  just  as  we 
love  flowers,  and  yet  take  pains  to  make  them 
grow,  so  we  love  our  amusement,  and  yet  try  a 
little  training  even  there. 

And  this  brings  me  to  another  chapter  which 
I  want  you  to  read,  about  the  use  and  abuse  of 
books  written  for  our  amusement 


Books  of  Amusement  or  Fiction.  71 


CHAPTER  V. 

BOOKS    OF    AMUSEMENT    OR    FICTION. 
•Si 

^  REMEMBER  very  well  an  injustice  done 
(s?^  to  me  when  a  child  in  the  following 
way :  I  had  been  studying  all  day  long,  and 
at  evening  was  tired,  too  tired  to  romp  or  to 
talk,  and  so  I  curled  myself  up  comfortably 
in  my  easy-chair  and  rested,  and  while  doing 
so  I  ran  my  eye  lightly  over  the  pages  of  an 
entertaining  book,  which  just  held  my  attention 
without  fatiguing  my  brain.  It  was  a  perfectly 
pure,  good  book,  and  I  was  enjoying  it  in  a 
dreamy  way,  the  very  picture  of  idleness,  I  have 
no  doubt,  to  a  gentleman  who  happened  to  call 
upon  my  parents  that  evening.  He  was  a  good, 
kind  man,  and  interested  in  children,  and  so, 
instead  of  leaving  me  alone  where  I  was  quietly 
disposed  of,  he  undertook  to  show  this  interest 
by  leaning  over  me  to  see  what  book  I  was 
reading.     "  Nonsense  !  "   he   exclaimed,    "  why 


jz  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

do  you  waste  your  time  over  such  a  senseless 
book  ?  "  I  looked  up  in  surprise,  and  explained 
that  it  was  not  senseless,  but  very  interesting. 
"  Absurd  ! "  he  continued  ;  "  all  wrong  !  all 
wrong !  You  are  frittering  your  mind  away, 
you  are  reading  poisonous  trash  !  You  should 
choose  better  books.     Too  bad  !  too  bad  ! " 

I  asked  what  would  be  better  for  me  to  read, 
and  I  asked  it  humbly,  for  I  had  been  taught  to 
respect  the  opinion  of  this  gentleman.  "  Read 
history,"  he  said  ;  "  read  '  Allison's  History  of 
Europe,' "  And  with  that  he  left  me,  quite 
crushed  and  bruised  in  spirit,  a  very  sleepy, 
confused,  and  unhappy  child.  If  he  had  said, 
"  Go  to  bed  and  sleep,"  I  could  have  under- 
stood him,  and  should  have  considered  it  good 
advice  ;  but  to  tell  me  to  read  Allison's  History 
with  eyes  that  were  half  shut,  was  like  telling 
me  to  rouse  myself  and  climb  a  mountain. 
Child  as  I  was,  I  saw  that  he  was  wrong  ;  but 
still,  being  conscientious,  I  laid  aside  that  book 
and  did  not  then  finish  it.  Not  long  ago  I  met 
with  it  again,  and  read  it  with  interest  to  see 


Books  of  Amusemeftt  or  Fiction.  73 

where  the  poison  lurked  in  its  pages.  It  was 
absolutely  harmless,  a  well-written,  pure,  pretty 
little  book ! 

Now  this  story  may  illustrate  what  I  mean 
when  I  say  that  the  outcry  raised  against  all 
stories,  works  of  fiction  and  of  imagination,  is 
an  unjust  outcry  when  it  is  made  unreservedly. 

There  are  some  earnest  souls  who  look  upon 
life  as  a  hard  battle,  who  buckle  on  their  armor 
and  never  take  it  off,  who  think  it  wrong  to 
laugh  and  joke,  and  call  all  laughter  the  "  crack- 
ling of  thorns  under  a  pot,"  forgetting  that  it  is 
only  the  laughter  of  fools  which  is  denounced 
in  Holy  Writ.  To  such  natures  all  amusement 
is  a  waste  of  time,  and  all  story-books,  there- 
fore, would  be  unprofitable.  I  have  no  desire 
to  criticise  such  natures,  for  they  are  capable 
of  doing  an  immense  deal  of  good  in  their  own 
way,  and  their  faults  certainly  lean  to  virtue's 
side ;  still  1  will  confess  (since  this  is  a  friendly 
chat  that  we  are  having  together)  that  I  wish 
they  would  cheer  up  once  in  awhile !  They 
are  very  good,  but  I  should  love  them  better  if 


74  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

they  were  not  so  very  solemn.  They  do  not 
like  stories  ;  they  denounce  all  novels,  they  shut 
their  lips  very  closely,  and  shake  their  heads 
and  say,  "  Dangerous  reading,  avoid  it  ! " 

Then  there  are  others  who  are  very  active, 
and  who  see  a  great  deal  of  practical  every-day 
life.  They  see  that  good  common  sense  is 
much  needed  in  the  world,  and  that  a  soft, 
mawkish  sentiment  is  not  needed  at  all  ;  so  they 
bustle  about,  and  are  clever,  and  kind,  and  hope- 
ful, and  good,  but  they  do  not  like  novels,  and 
they  say,  "  Trash  !  sentimental  nonsense  !  Up 
and  be  doing,  and  leave  such  sickening  stuff  to 
fools  who  have  no  brains  !" 

But  these  good  people  are  like  my  unjust 
friend  who  condemned  my  little  good  book. 
They  do  not  discriminate  ;  they  are  too  lofty  or 
too  busy  to  stop  and  look  down,  and  find  out 
what  it  is  they  are  decrying  so  vehemently. 
Because  many  novels  are  bad  they  think  all 
are.  But  that  is  not  just.  I  remember  that 
my  respected  friend  came  to  tea,  not  long  after 
he  had  so  discouraged  me,  and  on  that  occasion  I 


Books  of  Amusement  or  Fiction.  7$ 

was  wider  awake,  and  promoted  to  the  dignity 
of  tea-making,  and  I  put  so  little  sugar  in  his 
cup  that  he  had  to  send  it  to  me  twice  for  more. 
I — bad  child  that  I  was — gave  him  just  as  little 
as  I  could,  saying  to  myself  at  the  time,  "  He 
doesn't  believe  in  sweetening.  My  book  was  to 
my  hard  day  what  his  lump  of  sugar  is  to  his 
bitter  tea.  Now  I  shall  see  how  he  likes  to  go 
without  !  "  And  I  concluded  that  he  did  not 
like  it,  so  I  relented,  and  gave  him  enough  in 
his  second  cup. 

Almost  every  body  likes  sugar,  and  children 
and  young  people  are  extravagantly  fond  of  it. 
And  stories  and  novels  are  like  sugar  to  us 
when  we  are  young ;  we  want  them,  we  crave 
them,  we  do  not  feel  disposed  to  go  without 
them.  But  just  as  sugar  is  good  and  healthy 
when  taken  pure  and  in  small  quantities,  and  with 
good  nourishing  food,  so  novels  are  only  healthy 
when  they  are  pure,  taken  in  small  quantities, 
and  with  plenty  of  good  solid  reading. 

Since  it  is  natural  to  the  youthful  mind  to 
enjoy  a  good  story,  I  am  not  going  to  pretend 


76  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

that  it  is  a  want  of  wisdom  to  do  so.  Imagina- 
tion is  a  good  gift  of  God,  and  must  not  be 
starved  to  death.     Neither  must  it  be  abused. 

The  desire  for  fiction  is  neither  unnatural 
nor  wrong  ;  it  is  the  cry  of  the  imagination,  and 
some  imaginations  cry  loudly,  and  will  not  be 
satisfied  without  food.  Since  it  is  a  part  of  the 
mind  which  God  has  given,  it  is  our  duty  to 
preserve  it  in  health  ;  but  we  must  not  go  to  ex- 
tremes, and  stimulate  where  nourishment  only 
is  needed.  If  I  teach  liberty  in  this  respect, 
it  is  not  the  abuse  of  liberty.  Do  not  misun- 
derstand me.  I  have  told  you  that  you  must 
be  conscientious  in  all  your  reading,  and  even 
in  novel  reading  you  must  remember  this. 
Let  us  see,  if  we  can,  how  to  choose  the  good 
and  reject  the  evil. 

We  have  assumed  that  we  are  to  read  always 
with  a  view  to  our  own  mental  development  in 
order  to  benefit  our  fellow-beings.  Our  minds 
are  not  to  be  selfish.  How  will  novels  help  us 
to  help  others  ? 

Professor  Porter  has  given  to  the  world  such 


Books  of  Amusement  or  Fiction.  yj 

an  admirable  work  on  books  and  reading,  that  it 
seems  useless  to  try  to  supplement  his  efforts 
with  any  less  worthy.  But  you  know  I  am  the 
crooked  stick  I  mentioned  in  the  first  chapter, 
and  one  of  the  first  fruits  I  should  like  to  draw 
down  from  the  tree  for  you  is  his  book.  It  is 
called  "  Books  and  Reading,"  and  just  as  soon 
as  you  can  understand  and  appreciate  it  I  want 
you  to  read  it  carefully.  In  it  you  will  find 
the  whole  subject  of  novel  reading  skillfully 
treated. 

Now,  however,  I  will  only  quote  his  words 
occasionally,  in  simple  form,  for  your  benefit. 
He  divides  novels  into  two  groups  :  Novels  of 
Incident,  and  Novels  of  Character. 

The  first  are  exciting  and  picturesque,  and 
very  attractive  to  the  young.  But  he  shows  us 
that  after  awhile,  as  the  taste  becomes  more 
cultivated  and  refined,  we  do  not  enjoy  them  as 
much  as  at  first ;  we  cease  to  care  too  much  for 
the  plot  of  the  story,  and  begin  to  study  the 
characters  a  little  more  closely.  When  we 
reach  this  point  we  have  attained  to  the  second 


78  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

step  in  progress,  and  we  reach  the  third  when 
we  learn  to  study  and  analyze  these  characters 
with  discrimination  and  judgment.  When  we 
can  study  their  motives,  trace  out  their  springs, 
and  discover  their  leading  traits,  and  illustrate 
them  to  our  own  judgment  by  examples  from 
real  life,  we  may  be  said  to  have  attained  this 
third  step. 

And  it  is  in  doing  this  that  we  are  improving 
ourselves  and  others,  if  we  use  our  knowledge 
truly  and  well.  This  is  a  way  to  understand 
our  fellow-beings  which  is  attractive  and  delight- 
ful. We  need  not  wait  to  see  the  romance  of 
daily  life  slowly  acted  by  our  friends  while  we 
look  on,  all  uncomprehending.  The  well-writ- 
ten, good  novel  lives  this  romance  for  us,  and 
in  understanding  it  we  understand  our  friends, 
we  sympathize  more  truly  with  them,  we  re- 
joice more  sincerely  with  them,  we  forbear 
to  criticise  them.  The  novel  may  easily  teach 
us  the  fact  that  the  heart  knoweth  its  own  bit- 
terness, and  by  this  knowledge  we  shall  respect 
the  reticence  of  our  friends,  nor  seek    to   m- 


Books  of  Amusement  or  Fiction.  79 

trude  ourselves.  It  may  well  show  us  that  a 
stranger  intermeddleth  not  with  the  heart's 
joy,  and  we  shall  look  at  what  we  might  per- 
haps otherwise  call  extravagant  gayety,  with 
a  glad  feeling  that  light  hearts  and  merry 
hearts  did  not  leave  this  world  when  we  grew 
old  or  became  sad.  We  see  the  good  and  bad 
in  human  nature  so  curiously  blended  by  the 
skillful  author  that  we  learn  to  distinguish  it  in 
real  life,  and  human  beings  are  less  contradict- 
ory to  us,  less  puzzling  to  us,  because  of  the 
hero  who  has  interested  us  in  our  novel.  We 
liked  him,  we  saw  wJiy  we  liked  him,  and  why 
he  appeared  odd  or  unattractive  to  the  other 
characters  in  the  book.  We  were  perhaps  pro- 
voked at  them  for  misunc^crstanding  him — then 
we  apply  the  story  to  our  own  surroundings, 
we  recognize  the  character  in  some  acquaint- 
ance, who  may  possibly  become  a  friend,  because 
of  that  story  and  the  insight  it  gave  us  into  his 
character.  Or  we  recognize  what  is  mean  and 
contemptible,  and  we  learn  to  shun  it ;  we  will 
not  so  easily  call  bitter,  sweet,  and  sweet,  bitter. 


8o  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

But  to  achieve  this,  we  must  read  a  certain 
kind  of  fiction.  Do  not  think  that  any  advance- 
ment is  to  be  made  by  reading  every  novel. 
Here  I  want  to  establish  a  point. 

The  number  of  well-written,  useful  novels  is 
comparatively  small,  and  the  number  of  bad  novels 
annually  printed  and  widely  circulated  is  enor- 
mous. T  cannot  sufficiently  express  my  detesta- 
tion of  the  poor  novel !  Of  it  our  solemn  friend 
may  well  say,  "  Avoid  it " — our  active,  practical 
friend  may  well  say,  "  Sickly  sentiment,  worse 
than  useless ! "  So  it  is,  much  worse  than 
useless  ;  it  is  positively  bad,  and  its  influence  is 
poisonous. 

Professor  Porter  tells  us,  "  No  class  of  writers 
exercises  so  complete  control  over  their  readers 
as  novelists  do.  This  control  reaches  to  their 
opinions  and  prejudices,  if  it  does  not  insensibly 
control  and  re-shape  their  entire  philosophy  of 
duty  and  of  life.  The  fascination  which  they 
exercise  becomes  of  itself  a  spell.  No  enchant- 
ment is  so  entire  and  delightful  as  that  with  which 
they  invest  the  story  which  they  recite.     It  is 


Books  of  Aimisement  or  Fiction.  8i 

a  very  glamour  which  they  pour  not  only  over 
the  scenes  which  they  depict,  but  over  the 
senses  of  the  beholder.  A  favorite  novelist 
becomes,  for  the  time  being,  often  more  to  his 
enamored  and  enchanted  reader  than  preacher, 
teacher,  or  friend,  and  mdeed,  than  the  whole 
world  besides  ;  casting  a  spell  over  his  judg- 
ments, molding  his  principles,  forming  his  asso- 
ciations, and  recasting  his  prejudices. 

"  The  entranced  and  admiring  reader  runs  to 
his  favorite  when  he  can  snatch  an  hour  from  la- 
bor, society,  or  sleep.  He  broods  over  his  scenes 
and  characters  when  alone  ;  he  quotes  from  him 
as  often  as  he  dare,  he  cites  proverbs  and  favorite 
phrases  from  his  leading  personages.  He  even 
aspires  to  be  familiar  with  his  slang  and  his  cant. 
He  warms  with  increased  ardor  if  his  reputation 
is  attacked.  He  defends  him  if  he  is  criticised 
or  unfavorably  judged. 

"  Indeed,  we  may  go  further,  and  say  that  the 
devoted  reader  of  a  favorite  novelist  often  be- 
comes for  the  time  an  unconscious  imitator  or  a 

massive  reflex  of  his  author.   Like  the  chameleon 
6 


82  What  Shall  I  Read? 

he  takes  the  color  of  the  bough  and  leaf  from 
which  he  feeds.  He  is  more  likely  to  absorb 
and  reproduce  his  defects  than  his  excellences." 

This  is  all  true,  and  the  author  goes  on  to 
warn  us  against  subjection  to  a  single  novelist 
even  for  a  short  time,  because  its  tendency  is  to 
make  us  one-sided  and  unnatural." 

If  this  is  a  danger  in  reading  the  works  of 
the  very  best  novelists,  what  may  it  not  become 
if  we  subject  ourselves  to  the  influence  of  the 
poorer  ones  .' 

It  is  fearful  to  contemplate  the  mischief  that 
is  done  by  bad  novels.  I  believe  there  is  no 
more  powerful  influence  for  evil  in  the  world. 

While  you  are  young  you  cannot  discrimi- 
nate accurately,  and  would  be  obliged  to  read 
a  book  from  beginning  to  end  before  you  would 
know  if  it  was  good  or  bad,  and  so  the  influence 
might  extend  to  you,  and  you  might  be  injured, 
even  while  you  were  innocent  of  any  desire  to 
read  a  bad  book.  So,  for  the  present,  you  had 
better  not  read  indiscriminately.  There  are 
certain  books   you    had  better  avoid  entirely. 


Books  of  Amusement  or  Fiction.  83 

The  old-fashioned  novels  are  not  good  for  you 
now.  They  were  written  when  the  manners 
and  conversation  of  people  were  coarse,  and, 
although  many  of  them  are  clever  and  have 
their  use,  they  would  be  improper  for  you. 
They  mark  the  age  in  which  they  were  written  ; 
but,  let  us  hope,  we  have  progressed  a  little 
since  that  time. 

The  passionate  love-story  is  also  to  be 
avoided.  I  know  it  is  the  most  exciting  and 
interesting  of  all  kinds  of  reading,  but  it  is  not 
good  for  you.  It  is  a  false  picture,  a  deformed 
specimen.  I  earnestly  beg  of  you  to  let  it 
alone.  What  good  can  it  do  you  }  It  will  not 
help  you  to  understand  one  human  heart  It 
leads  you,  on  the  contrary,  to  underrate  real 
feeling,  which  is  rarely,  if  ever,  passionately  ex- 
pressed. Human  beings  are  loving  and  suffer- 
ing all  around  you,  and  unwritten  romances 
call  for  sympathy  at  your  side,  but  their  lan- 
guage finds  no  expression  in  the  "  Tale  of  Love 
and  Adventure"  that  meets  with  so  ready  a 
sale.     There  is  one  objection  to  novel  reading, 


84  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

that  it  is  apt  to  excite  romantic  expectations  of 
success  in  life. 

This  must  be  guarded  against.  The  novels 
of  the  present  day  are  not  as  open  to  this 
criticism  as  those  that  went  before  them,  and 
in  the  best  novels  of  character  this  fault  will 
scarcely  be  found. 

It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  young  people  to  talk 
together  about  a  book,  and  compare  their  im- 
pressions of  the  characters  met  in  the  last  novel. 
Do  you  not  think  so  ?  How  warmly  you  love 
and  hate  your  heroes  and  heroines,  and  how 
impatient  you  are  of  any  criticism  adverse  to 
your  favorites. 

This  very  warmth  of  feeling  and  eagerness 
in  conversation  is  stimulating  and  good.  It 
calls  out  powers  of  analysis  and  independence 
of  judgment,  and  is  a  much  better  use  of  time 
than  when  it  is  spent  in  ordinary  gossip. 

I  wish  I  could  tell  you  how  to  select  your 
novels,  for  although  I  may  give  you  a  long  list 
from  which  to  choose,  you  will  often  be  called 
upon  to  make  your  own  selection.     In  railway 


Books  of  Amusement  or  Fiction.  85 

traveling,  for  instance,  you  may,  from  sheer 
weariness,  buy  a  book  and  read  it,  which  will 
forever  after  exercise  a  bad  influence  over  you. 
If  you  were  able  to  detect  a  poor  style,  you 
could  easily  avoid  bad  books  by  simply  run- 
ning your  eye  over  the  first  few  pages.  But 
this  facility  only  comes  with  practice  ;  so  while 
you  are  young  I  must  give  you  broad  rules. 

Never  read  the  books  of  any  novelist  till  you 
have  acquainted  yourself  with  his  reputation. 
The  names  of  some  authors  are  as  sure  indica- 
tions of  evil  as  the  skull  and  cross  bones  with 
which  old-fashioned  druggists  used  to  mark 
their  bottles  of  poison.  Avoid  all  the  Dime 
Novels,  all  the  "  Great  Sensation  Stories  "  that 
you  see  advertised.  They  are  catchpennies, 
made  to  attract  and  to  sell  easily. 

Many  novels  of  excellent  writers  are  pub- 
lished in  a  cheap  form,  so  do  not  suppose  it  is 
the  low  price  of  a  book  that  marks  it  as  a  low 
book.  If  you  familiarize  yourself  with  the 
names  of  good  authors  you  will  not  make  any 
great   mistake.     It  would   not  be  wise  to  tell 


86  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

you  that  you  may  read  every  work  of  even 
good  authors.  Few,  if  any,  writers  of  fiction 
deserve  unqualified  praise. 

But  I  think  I  am  safe  in  saying  that  the 
works  of  Sir  Walter  Scott  may  be  read  by 
young  and  old.  It  is  fair  to  judge  an  author  in 
same  degree  by  his  life  and  private  feelings.  A 
Christian  gentleman  can  scarcely  write  what  is 
not  good.  We  cannot  read  Lockhart's  Life  of 
Walter  Scott,  and  not  be  impressed  by  the  sin- 
cerity and  nobility  of  his  career.  He  had  his 
own  peculiar  prejudices,  as  all  men  have,  and 
carried  his  political  partisanship  somewhat  into 
his  writings.  But  how  nobly  we  see  him  living 
in  the  midst  of  his  wonderful  success  and  pros- 
perity ;  always  genial,  gentle,  and  kind,  true 
and  charitable,  extending  a  hand  of  kindness 
and  encouragement  to  others  less  fortunate 
than  himself.  And  when  adversity  came,  and 
he  was  burdened  with  debt  and  responsibility, 
how  bravely  he  struggled,  maintaining  his  inde- 
pendence of  thought,  battling  with  disease, 
working  hard  that  he  might  pay  all  he  owed 


Books  of  Amtisenient  or  Fiction.  87 

without  a  murmur,  and  none  the  less  generous 
or  kind  because  of  his  great  distress.  It  is  a 
noble  life,  and  all  through  it  he  bore  ample  tes- 
timony to  his  belief  in  God  and  his  goodness. 
Toward  its  close  we  find  him  broken,  feeble, 
suffering,  yet  loving,  trusting  on.  Lockhart 
asked  him  what  book  he  should  read  aloud  to 
him,  seeking  to  distract  him  from  the  weariness 
of  disease.  "  Need  you  ask .''  "  answered  Scott. 
"  There  is  but  one."  Scott  loved  the  Bible. 
When  he  was  dying  he  called  Lockhart  to  him. 
"  I  may  have  but  a  minute  to  speak  to  you," 
he  said.  "  My  dear,  be  a  good  man  ;  be  virtu- 
ous, be  religious  ;  be  a  good  man,  nothing  else 
will  give  you  any  comfort  when  you  come  to 
lie  here." 

A  man  who  felt  and  spoke  and  acted  sin- 
cerely all  his  life,  and  died  peacefully,  trusting 
in  his  Saviour,  can  scarcely  have  been  any 
thing  but  a  pure  writer.  His  novels  are  useful 
historically,  but  I  will  tell  you  frankly  that  the 
first  fifty  pages  are  usually  dull.  The  interest 
of  those  following  becomes  absorbinfr.     Scott 


88  What  Shall  I  Read? 

gives  us  the  manners  of  the  age  he  describes, 
therefore  at  times  he  may  introduce  a  scene 
which  is  not  altogether  according  to  our  pres- 
ent notions  of  strict  propriety.  But  he  never 
makes  vice  any  thing  but  odious  ;  he  never 
palliates  crime,  he  invariably  leads  his  reader 
to  the  admiration  of  virtue  and  nobility,  and 
his  novels  are,  therefore,  pure.  His  readers 
may  safely  feel  they  are  under  the  influence  of 
a  good  man. 

William  M.  Thackeray  is  another  pure  writer, 
although  I  do  not  recommend  his  earliest  works 
to  the  very  young.  But  "  Pendennis,"  "Vanity 
Fair,"  "  Henry  Esmond,"  "  The  Virginias," 
"  The  Nevvcomes,"  and  "  Philip,"  are  books 
which  are  to  be  read  with  pleasure  and  profit 
by  all. 

"  What ! "  some  one  may  say,  "  Does  not 
Thackeray  tell  how  a  young  man  fell  in  love 
with  an  actress  ?  How  a  young  woman  made 
her  way  in  the  world  by  her  sharp  wits,  which 
were  not  always  exercised  in  the  right  way  } 
Did  he  not  hold  up  pictures  of  vvorldliness,  and 


Books  of  Amusement  or  Fiction.  89 

show  us  what  is  ridiculous  in  the  hfe  of  a 
clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England?" 

"  Yes  !     He  does  all  this." 

"  Then,  how  can  you  recommend  him  as  a 
pure  or  a  good  writer  ? " 

O,  my  dear  reader,  never  take  a  shallow 
view  of  a  good  man's  good  work ! 

Thackeray  was  gifted  by  his  Maker  with  a 
wonderfully  clear  eye.  (He  used  to  say  of  him- 
self that  he  had  no  head  above  his  eyes.)  He 
saw  human  nature  as  it  exists  every  day ;  he 
detected  its  weakness,  its  pretenses,  and  he 
recognized  nobility  and  goodness.  He  took 
human  beings  as  he  found  them,  and  photo- 
graphed them.  His  novels  are  pre-eminently 
novels  of  character.  He  draws  character  so 
perfectly  that  a  knowledge  of  his  books  gives  a 
knowledge  of  your  fellow-beings,  which  you  can 
scarcely  afford  to  be  without.  He  makes  a 
young  country  boy  (Pendennis)  fall  in  love  with 
an  actress.  Is  that  a  startling  fact .''  Read  the 
book,  and  see  how  pure  and  true  it  is  !  In  Pen- 
dennis we  see  the  career  of  a  young  man  simply 


90  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

told.  We  see  his  temptations,  his  struggles, 
his  weakness,  and  his  strength.  We  see  purity, 
mother-love,  and  wise,  kind  influences,  produc- 
ing their  legitimate  result.  By  a  knowledge 
of  this  young  man  we  shall  understand  other 
young  men,  and  other  young  men  shall  under- 
stand themselves,  and  their  mothers,  the  better 
for  Thackeray's  "  Pendennis."  They  will  rec- 
ognize themselves.  They  will  see  the  practi- 
cal working  of  the  fact  which  they  have  heard 
dinned  into  their  ears,  that  "  to  be  virtuous  is 
to  be  happy  " — a  cant  phrase  which  they  may 
hear  forever  without  its  producing  any  emotion 
stronger  than  that  of  weariness,  but  which  will 
be  indelibly  impressed  on  their  minds  by  Pen- 
dennis. The  book  is  true.  There  is  nothing 
false  in  it ;  it  is  the  real  cvery-day  life  of  an 
average  young  man. 

Thackeray  is  the  Luther  of  letters.  He  comes 
out  from  his  seclusion,  his  silent  meditations, 
and  he  says  :  "  I  show  you  the  follies  of  fools, 
the  hypocrisies  of  hypocrites,  the  false  gods  of 
idolators.     I  show  you    the  worldliness   of  the 


Books  of  Amusement  or  Fiction.  91 

world,  I  call  bitter,  bitter ;  here  is  life,  here  is 
what  man  has  made  it ;  look  at  it  well,  and  see 
the  perverted  thing  it  is  !  Then  make  it  better. 
Will  you  not  be  what  you  may  be  ?  " 

He  does  not  preach  sermons  to  us,  but,  if  we 
read  him  aright,  we  see  that  he  has  thought  well 
on  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  "  I  pray  not 
that  thou  shouldest  take  them  out  of  the  world, 
but  that  thou  shouldest  keep  them  from  the  evil." 
Thackeray  shows  us  this  evil,  not  fantastically 
dressed,  to  scare  us,  not  alluringly  dressed, 
to  attract  us,  but  just  as  it  is,  and  we  may  keep 
ourselves  from  it  the  better  for  his  books. 

He  uses  the  sharp  weapons  of  satire  and  ridi- 
cule effectively.  They  overthrow  where  noth- 
ing else  avails. 

What  is  it  he  ridicules  in  the  clergyman's  life  .-* 
Not  his  sacred  office,  but  his  incompetency  to 
fill  that  office.  He  satirizes  the  man,  and  by 
that  satire  has  many  a  soul  seen  its  own  folly, 
and  turned  again  in  humility.  If  Thackeray 
ever  ridiculed  holy  things  I  certainly  could  not 
recommend  his  books  if  they  were  the  clever- 


92  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

est  productions  of  the  world.  But  he  reverences 
what  is  true  and  good,  and  only  sneers  at 
hypocrisy.  It  would  be  bitterly  unjust  to  say 
that  he  ridicules  clergymen  because  he  draws 
the  character  of  "  Sampson  "  in  "  The  Virgin- 
ians." Sampson  is  a  representative  fox-hunt- 
ing English  clergyman  of  the  age  of  which  he 
writes  in  that  book.  What  better  picture  can 
one  want  to  impress  on  the  mind  the  corruptions 
that  tainted  the  Church  at  that  time  .''  It  is  an 
historical  fact  he  mentions.  Out  of  that  very 
corruption  sprang  the  fair  fruit  of  a  purer  prac- 
tice of  religion.  Let  any  one  interested  in  the 
history  of  the  Methodist  Church  read  "  The 
Virginians,"  to  see  wJiy  Wesley  was  needed. 
They  will  understand  the  matter  better  when 
they  know  "  Sampson,"  and  realize  that  such 
men  were  the  men  in  power  at  that  time  in 
the  Church  of  England. 

But  if  they  take  alarm,  and  say,  "  O,  Thackeray 
cannot  be  a  good  writer,  because  he  ridicules 
clergymen  ! "  they  may  go  without  that  knowl- 
edge, and  without  the  benefit  of  many  a  fact 


Books  of  Amusement  or  Fiction.         93 

which  the  clear  eye  of  Thackeray  saw  for  the 
benefit  of  his  race. 

Charles  Reade  gives  us  novels  of  another 
order ;  they  are  exceedingly  interesting,  and  treat 
of  the  subjects  that  principally  excite  us.  But 
they  are  not  good.  He  may  occasionally  draw 
a  clever  character,  but  it  is  not  to  serve  any  fur- 
ther end  than  to  amuse  for  the  moment.  His 
earlier  books  were  written  with  taste,  but  his 
later  novels  have  been  decidedly  bad  in  their 
tone  and  influence.  He  has  degenerated  in  his 
style  ;  and  while  he  panders  to  the  taste  for  ex- 
citement that  prevails  at  the  present  day,  he 
loses  his  right  to  be  called  a  pure  author.  I 
do  not  recommend  any  of  his  novels,  for  I  do 
not  see  that  any  good  can  be  obtained  by  their 
perusal,  and  they  foster  a  love  of  excitement, 
which  is  a  dangerous  thing  for  a  young  reader. 

To  read  for  amusement  you  may  take  Charles 
Dickens,  and  find  plenty  of  fun  and  enjoyment. 
Dickens  is  a  caricaturist.  He  does  not  photo- 
graph life  as  Thackeray  does  ;  he  looks  at  it 
from  a  different  stand-point,  and  gives  us  richly 


94  What  Shall  I  Read? 

colored  pictures  of  it,  somewhat  gaudy,  perhaps, 
but  very  attractive.  The  crowd  will  stop  before 
the  window  of  a  picture  dealer  to  look  with 
relish  at  the  bright  highly-colored  canvas  which 
shows  some  cheerful  scene,  while  they  pass  by 
the  sober  engraving  with  a  careless  glance.  So 
the  crowd  loves  to  read  Charles  Dickens  ;  and 
the  eyes  that  look  at  his  pictures  glow  with  a 
kindly  light,  and  brighten  as  they  linger  by  the 
cheerful  scene  this  genial  artist  has  painted  for 
them.  What  if  he  does  caricature  every  body  ? 
He  does  it  kindly ;  there  is  not  a  trace  of  bit- 
terness in  our  laughter  when  we  recognize  our- 
selves and  our  friends  in  his  books.  He  is 
brimming  over  with  fun,  but  he  teaches  us  to 
laugh  with,  not  at,  our  friends.  The  morality  of 
his  books  is  good.  It  has  been  objected  that 
he  distorts  religious  characters.  I  confess  I 
cannot  see  any  distortion  of  any  thing  noble, 
religious,  or  true,  in  any  of  his  books.  He 
ridicules  hypocrisy,  just  as  Thackeray  satirizes 
it ;  but  neither  of  these  authors  bring  their  ban- 
ter to  bear  upon  any  thing  truly  good.     On  the 


Books  of  Amusement  or  Fiction.  95 

contrary,  the  very  genius  that  distinguishes 
what  is  false  perceives  what  is  true,  and  faith 
and  virtue  are  ever  upheld  in  the  works  of 
Charles  Dickens.  To  young  readers,  I  doubt 
if  any  novelist  will  compare  with  Dickens,  who 
has  made  them  laugh  and  cry,  and  will  make 
them  laugh  and  cry,  so  long  as  his  books  shall  be 
read.  I  can  give  but  one  experience,  and  that 
my  own  ;  but  I  have  been  happier,  and,  I  trust, 
kinder,  for  having  read  Dickens  ever  since  I 
could  read  at  all.  Sick  or  well,  grave  or  gay, 
young  and  old,  Dickens  has  had  power  to  charm 
me,  and  I  think  his  influence  has  been  one  of 
the  kindest  of  my  life. 

A  very  popular  writer  of  the  present  day  is 
"  Ouida,"  (Julia  de  la  Rame,)  and  her  novels  are 
frequently  in  the  hands  of  many  a  young  girl 
who  should  blush  to  be  seen  reading  them.  / 
tmkesitatingly  condemn  them. 

Miss  Braddon's  books,  and  those  of  Mrs, 
Henry  Wood,  are  also  popular  just  now.  They 
are  fair  samples  of  the  st^le  of  novel  I  beg  you 
to  let  alone. 


96  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

All  of  Mrs.  H.  B.  Stowe's  novels  may  be  read. 
They  are  clever  and  interesting,  and  her  sketches 
of  New  England  life  are  admirable.  "  The  Min- 
ister's Wooing  "  and  "  Old  Town  Folks  "  are 
her  best.  I  need  not  mention  "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin  ;"  it  is  too  well  known  to  need  any  re- 
mark. Mrs.  Stowe  always  writes  with  a  moral 
purpose,  and  though  some  of  her  books  are 
infinitely  superior  to  others,  all  are  good  and  safe. 

Mrs.  Oliphant  has  also  given  us  many 
novels,  perfectly  pure  and  good.  Of  these 
"  Zaidee,"  "  Katie  Stewart,"  "  Chronicles  of 
Carlingford,"  "  Perpetual  Curate,"  "  Last  of  the 
Mortimers,"  and  "  Margaret  Maitland,"  are  the 
best.  They  are  simply  told  stories  of  interest- 
ing yet  every-day  experiences,  very  excellent  in 
their  moral  tone.  All  young  readers  of  fiction 
are  indebted  to  Mrs.  Oliphant  for  her  books, 
and  no  less  so  to  Miss  Mulock,  now  Mrs.  Craik, 
for  her  delightful  novels.  "A  Noble  Life," 
"  John  Halifax,"  "  A  Life  for  a  Life,"  "  Chris- 
tian's Mistake,"  and  "  The  Woman's  Kingdom," 
are  perhaps  her  best. 


Books  of  Amusement  or  Fiction.  97 

The  Baroness  Tautphoeus  has  written  two 
excellent  novels,  "The  Initials"  and  "Quits." 
These  books  give  accurate  and  charming  pict- 
ures of  life  in  Germany  and  Switzerland.  A 
little  love  romance  runs  through  each,  which  is 
characteristic  and  illustrative  of  the  country 
where  the  scene  is  laid.  There  is  no  weak 
sentiment  in  either ;  the  romance  is  well 
told,  very  interesting,  and  very  good.  "  At 
Odds,"  is  another  novel  by  the  same  author, 
which  is  good,  but  not  deserving  of  the  highest 
praise. 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  has  written  two  brill- 
iant novels,  "Elsie  Venner"  and  "The  Guardian 
Angel."  They  are  crisp,  witty,  and  exceed- 
ingly interesting.  But  although  they  contain 
the  germ  of  truth,  they  are  so  speculative  and 
suggestive  that  they  can  scarcely  be  called  safe 
reading  for  immature  minds.  A  careless  mind 
would  never  see  more  than  a  clever  story  in 
either ;  but  a  more  thoughtful  one  might  be  led 
into  error,  although  the  intention  of  the  author 

is  manifestly  good.     It  gives   me  pain  to  say 

7 


98  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

that  I  do  not  recommend  Holmes's  writings  to 
young  people,  for  I  acknowledge  a  debt  to  this 
gifted  author.  Fifty  years  from  now  I  ihink 
his  books  will  be  safe  for  all,  but  all  will  say 
"  he  saw  through  a  glass  darkly."  I  would 
rather  that  you  should  see  clearly ;  there  is  no 
necessity  to  look  on  cloudy  scenes  when  the 
sun  shines  brightly. 

"George  Eliot"  is  the  norn  de  plume  of  Mrs. 
Lewes,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  novels  of 
character  of  the  very  highest  order.  "  Adam 
Bede,"  "The  Mill  on  the  Floss,"  "  Romola," 
"Silas  Marner,"  "  FeHx  Holt,"  and  "Middle- 
march,"  are  the  names  of  her  principal  books. 
The  world  is  richer  for  them,  and  the  mind 
that  follows  them  thoughtfully  cannot  fail  to  be 
elevated  by  them.  The  character  of  "  Maggie," 
in  "  The  Mill  on  the  Floss,"  is  a  study  by  itself, 
which  every  young  girl  would  do  well  to  think 
over  ;  not  for  the  sake  of  the  story,  but  to  watch 
the  gradual  development  of  a  deep,  pure,  yet 
warm  nature,  struggling  with  its  own  imperfec- 
tions, aspiring  to  holiness,  hardly  beset  by  its 


Books  of  Amusement  or  Fiction.  99 

surroundings,  yet    triumphing  in   the   end  by 
mastery  of  self. 

All  George  Eliot's  books  are  somewhat 
mournful  in  their  tone  ;  they  are  true  pictures 
of  real  life,  useful  and  beautiful,  "as  sad  as 
earth,"  yet  they  shall  comfort  many.  The 
character  of  "  Tito,"  in  Romola,  is  the  opposite 
of  that  of  Maggie.  Tito  allows  a  beautiful 
nature  to  fall  into  ruin  through  self-indulgence. 
The  possibilities  of  good  and  evil  are  in  all  of 
George  Eliot's  characters,  and  they  develop  be- 
fore our  eyes,  not  as  exotics,  that  flourish  or 
perish  according  to  the  temperature  by  which 
they  are  surrounded,  but  as  human  beings,  in 
whom  is  the  Divine  Spark,  which  kindles  into 
flame  or  smolders  into  ashes,  according  as  it  is 
guarded  and  cherished,  neglected  or  quenched. 
George  Eliot  is  neither  a  caricaturist  nor  a 
satirist;  she  is  a  faithful  artist,  and  her  colors 
will  bear  the  test  of  time. 

For  very  finished,  patient,  and  studied  writ- 
ing, Miss  Thackeray  is  to  be  admired.  "The 
Story  of  Elizabeth,"  and  "  The  Village  on  the 


loo  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

Cliff,"  are  good  stories,  sentimental  in  the  truest 
sense,  not  in  the  weakest,  and  very  charming, 
though  slightly  melancholy.  Miss  Thackeray 
has  also  written  many  short  stories,  all  of  which 
are  good. 

Nathaniel  Hawthorne  is  perhaps  America's 
greatest  novelist.  Being  a  true  American,  it  is 
wonderful  to  observe  how  little  of  the  national 
humor  is  shown  in  his  works.  In  later  life  you 
must  read  the  novels  of  this  man  of  genius,  for 
such  he  undoubtedly  is  ;  but  for  the  present  you 
will  find  his  books  too  mystical,  too  incompre- 
hensible. They  are  entirely  pure,  but  only  an 
educated  mind  can  understand  Hawthorne. 
Therefore,  wait  till  you  are  older,  unless  your 
mental  culture  is  above  the  average. 

"  The  New  Priest  of  Conception  Bay,"  by 
R.  T.  S.  Lowell,  is  a  work  to  which  the  forego- 
ing remarks  apply  also.  Our  New  England 
writers  call  for  mature  minds  in  their  readers. 

Miss  Alcott's  books  can  scarcely  be  called 
novels  ;  they  are  bright,  attractive,  fresh  stories, 
which  may  be  read  with  great  pleasure  by  all 


Books  of  Amusemejit  or  Fiction.         loi 

young  people.  They  are  "  Little  Women," 
"Little  Men,"  and  "The  Old-fashioned  Girl." 
Her  last  book,  "Work,"  I  do  not  recommend. 

Hans  Christian  Andersen  has  written  a  ver}- 
good  novel  called  "The  Improvisatore,"  which 
is  his  best.  It  is  an  Italian  story,  and  well 
worth  reading.  All  his  stories  for  children  are 
worthy  of  the  highest  praise.  They  are  imagi- 
native, but  not  in  the  least  exciting ;  on  the  con- 
trary, his  is  a  most  soothing,  nursery  influence. 

Frederika  Bremer  is  a  Swedish  authoress, 
who  gives  us  pictures  of  home  life  in  her  own 
country,  which  are  to  be  read  and  enjoyed  in 
all  security.  There  is  a  selection  to  be  made, 
however,  among  her  novels.  "The  Neighbors" 
and  "The  Home"  are  decidedly  her  best. 

If  we  judge  an  authoress  by  her  life,  then  I 
should  recommend  the  novels  of  Charlotte 
Bronte.  But  much  as  I  respect  the  woman  who 
wrote  "  Jane  Eyre,"  I  shall  not  advise  you  to 
read  it.  It  is  too  exciting,  too  unnatural,  and 
open  to  criticism.  But  "  Shirley  "  and  "  Villette  " 
are  good,  and  I  think  I  may  tell  you  to  read 


I02  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

them.  They  are  exceedingly  interesting.  I 
would  like  you  to  read  the  life  of  Charlotte 
Bronte,  written  by  Mrs.  Gaskell.  Do  not  read 
the  works  of  Anne  or  Emily  Bronte,  her  sisters  ; 
they  are  not  good. 

Rhoda  Broughton  need  scarcely  be  men- 
tioned. The  titles  of  her  novels  are  strik- 
ing, her  style  is  original,  but  I  hope  you 
will  not  read  her  books.  They  are,  "  Com- 
eth up  as  a  Flower,"  "  Red  as  a  Rose  is 
She,"  etc. 

Mrs.  Charles's  books  may  always  be  read. 
"  The  Schonberg  Cotta  Family,"  "  Diary  of 
Kitty  Trevelyan,"  and  "  Winifred  Bertram,"  are 
the  best. 

Wilkie  Collins  writes  sensational  books  more 
or  less  interesting,  but  purposeless  ;  not  bad, 
yet  not  good. 

Madame  de  Stael's  "  Corinne  "  is  a  very  re- 
munerative book,  and  gives  capital  pictures  of 
Italy.  RufiEini's  "  Doctor  Antonio  "  is  another 
excellent  Italian  story,  but  it  is  the  only  one 
of  Ruffini's  that    I    recommend.     "  Debit  and 


Books  of  Amuseine?it  or  Fiction.        103 

Credit,"  by  Freytag,  gives  an  excellent  picture 
of  German  business  life,  and  is  especially  inter- 
esting to  young  men.  "  Cranford,"  and  ''  My 
Lady  Ludlow,"  are  two  excellent  books,  by 
Mrs.  Gaskell ;  I  select  them  from  her  other 
novels,  for  I  do  not  recommend  all  the  writings 
of  this  author. 

"  The  Vicar  of  Wakefield,"  by  Oliver  Gold- 
smith, is  a  standard  work  which  you  must  read. 
Mrs.  Stowe  has  lately  edited  a  book  in  which 
this  is  to  be  found,  together  with  "  Picciola," 
"  The  Exiles  of  Siberia,"  three  stories  from 
"The  Arabian  Nights  Entertainment,"  "Gulli- 
ver's Travels,"  "  Pilgrim's  Progress,"  and  "  Un- 
dine." These  stories  are  all  most  excellent 
in  the  form  in  which  she  presents  them  to  the 
public. 

Washington  Irving's  works  of  fiction  may 
all  be  read.  These  are  "  Bracebridge  Hall," 
"  Knickerbocker's  New  York,"  "  Tales  of  a 
Traveler,"  "  The  Alhambra,"  and  "  Wolfert's 
Roost."  They  will  not  especially  attract  all 
very  young  reacLers  ;  but  they  are  graceful  and 


I04  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

elegant  in  their  style,  and  if  not  appreciated 
at  first,  cannot  fail  to  win  admiration  in  later 
life.  Many  young  readers  will  delight  in 
them.  Miss  Muhlbach's  novels  are  not  useful, 
although  they  aim  at  historic  interest.  They 
are  unreliable,  exaggerated,  and  of  doubtful 
morality. 

Mrs.  Prentiss  has  written  two  books  that 
may,  perhaps,  be  mentioned  as  novels.  They 
are  "  Stepping  Heavenward,"  and  "  Aunt 
Jane's  Hero."  Both  are  excellent,  with  a  de- 
cidedly religious  tendency. 

Miss  Catherine  Sedgwick's  books  are  good, 
and  Miss  E.  M.  Sewell's  are  harmless. 

Bayard  Taylor  is  a  pure  writer,  but  not  espe- 
cially interesting.  His  novels  are  "  Hannah 
Thurston,"  "  The  Story  of  Kennett,"  and  "  Jo- 
seph and  his  Friend." 

Anthony  Trollope  is  a  very  popular  novelist, 
and  those  who  have  the  patience  to  read  his 
works  seem  to  admire  them.  They  are  all 
much  alike,  being  pictures  of  English  life,  and 
have  at  least  the  merit  of  making  Americans 


Books  of  Amusement  or  Fiction.         105 

glad  they  were  born  in  America,  if  tlie  pictures 
are  true.  Tliey  are  moral  books,  and  directed 
against  worldliness,  which  is  represented  by 
marrying  for  money  or  position.  The  prin- 
cipal works  by  this  author  are  "  Barchester 
Towers,"  "  Doctor  Thorn,"  "  Framley  Par- 
sonage," "  The  Claverings,"  and  "  Can  You 
Forgive  Her  ?  "  He  has  written  twenty-three 
novels. 

Sarah  Tytler  is  a  very  excellent  writer. 
"  Citoyenne  Jacqueline "  is  a  story  of  the 
French  Revolution,  good  and  true.  "  Papers 
for  Thoughtful  Girls,"  and  "  Sweet  Counsel  for 
Girls,"  are  worthy  of  high  praise.  All  her 
books  I  believe  to  be  good. 

"  Aurelian,"  "  Zenobia,"  and  **  Julian "  are 
well  written  and  very  interesting  historical 
novels  by  William  Ware. 

The  Misses  Warner  have  written  many 
books  which  are  decidedly  religious  in  their 
tone.  Of  these,  "The  Wide,  Wide  World" 
and  "  Queechy  "  are  the  best. 

Mrs.  A.  D.  T,  Whitney's  books  for   young 


io6  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

girls  are  very  acceptable.  "  Faith  Gartney's 
Girlhood"  and  "Leslie  Goldthvvaite"  are  the 
best,  but  all  are  good. 

Miss  Yonge  is  an  English  writer  of  very 
decided  Church-of-England  views,  which  she 
forces  a  little  too  much  upon  her  readers. 
With  the  exception  of  this  her  books  bear 
criticism.  "  The  Heir  of  Redclyffc "  is  very 
interesting,  and  good  in  its  tone ;  and  "  The 
Clever  Woman  of  the  Family"  is  really  ad- 
mirable. 

George  Macdonald  is  an  entirely  safe  writer, 
and  one  to  be  trusted.  The  names  of  his  works 
are  "Alec  Forbes,"  "Annals  of  a  Quiet  Neigh- 
borhood," "  David  Elginbrod,"  "Guild  Court," 
"  Phantastes,"  "  The  Portent,"  "  Ranald  Ban- 
nerman's  Boyhood,"  "  Robert  Falconer,"  and 
"  The  Seaboard  Parish." 

Buiwer  Lytton  is  one  of  the  most  famous  of 
modern  English  novelists.  His  works  vary 
greatly  in  their  character.  His  earlier  novels 
are  decidedly  bad  in  moral  tone,  but  his  later 
works  show  a  true  appreciation  of  nobility  and 


Books  of  Aviusement  or  Fiction.         107 

virtue.  "  The  Caxtons  "  and  "  My  Novel  "  are 
his  best,  and  I  think  I  may  safely  recommend 
them.  But  I  do  not  think  many  young  people 
will  care  to  read  them,  as  they  are  not  designed 
for  youthful  minds.  "  The  Last  Days  of 
Pompeii  "  and  "  Leila  ;  or,  The  Siege  of  Gran- 
ada," are  his  best  historical  novels,  and  are 
both  exceedingly  interesting. 

I  have  tried  to  help  you  in  the  selection  of 
your  novels  by  these  few  remarks  on  the  differ- 
ent popular  authors  of  the  day.  I  want  you  to 
observe  three  things  : — 

First,  that  a  book  must  have  some  purpose, 
moral  or  historical,  to  be  a  truly  good  book. 
Secondly,  I  would  like  you  to  notice  that  there 
are  very  few  writers  who  are  wholly  to  be  re- 
lied upon.  Thirdly,  that  I  condemn  all  sensa- 
tional stories. 

And  I  call  for  justice  and  liberality  of  senti- 
ment toward  those  writers  who,  out  of  pure 
hearts,  have  given  us  their  knowledge  of  a 
world  which  is  indeed  full  of  evil,  but  in  which 
we  are  under  the  necessity  of  living. 


io8  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

If  fiction  can  lead  us  to  a  nicer  discrimina- 
tion, to  a  kinder  judgment  of  our  fellow-beings, 
to  a  clearer  recognition  of  good  and  evil  than 
we  can  obtain  by  heavier  reading,  let  us  use 
fiction,  exercising  our  consciences  as  well  as  our 
minds,  and  then  we  never  shall  abuse  it. 


Religious  Reading.  109 


CHAPTER  VI. 

RELIGIOUS      READING. 

JTl  approach  the  subject  of  religious  read- 
s^  ing  with  very  great  reluctance,  for  I  con- 
sider it  one  of  the  hardest  to  treat  well.  The 
old  saying,  "What  is  one  man's  meat  is  another 
man's  poison,"  applies  so  truly  to  this  kind  of 
mental  food,  that  I,  desiring  to  be  truly  consci- 
entious, may  well  hesitate  before  I  advise  you 
on  the  matter.  Two  friends  may  read  the  same 
book ;  one  finds  it  charming,  the  other  pro- 
nounces it  dull.  In  general  literature  this  dif- 
ference of  opinion  does  no  harm,  but  where 
principles  are  involved  it  becomes  more  serious. 
There  is  a  general  impression  abroad  among 
young  people  that  religious  reading  must  neces- 
sarily be  dull,  heavy,  uninteresting,  and  reserved 
exclusively  for  Sunday  use.  I  do  not  know 
why  this  should  prevail  so  generally  at  the 
present  day. 


I  lo  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

Some  very  excellent,  conscientious  people 
think  it  wrong  to  be  cheerful  on  Sunday,  and 
I  suppose  it  is  this  same  feeling  that  induces 
the  belief  that  the  duller  a  book,  the  more 
fitting  it  becomes  for  Sunday  use.  I  think 
this  is  wrong.  It  is  not  an  exalted  view  to 
take  of  our  spiritual  life  that  we  must  be  dull 
to  develop  properly.  Gloom  is  not  religion,  and 
is  very  different  from  gravity.  A  serious  mind 
may  be  a  very  cheerful  one.  God's  holy  day 
should  be  a  day  of  rest,  not  a  penitential  season, 
when  all  our  discontents  and  forebodings  are 
to  be  brooded  over,  dwelt  upon,  and  called 
worship.  It  is  not  necessary  to  pore  over  dull 
books  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  down  our 
happy  feelings.  We  denounce  penance  as  a 
superstition  of  the  Romish  Church,  but  we  as 
surely  perform  it  by  such  an  exercise,  as  though 
we  wore  hair  shirts  and  used  scourges.  I  can- 
not think  our  loving  Lord  is  pleased  with  our 
efforts  to  stupefy  our  senses.  Surely  we  should 
bring  our  happiest,  brightest,  clearest  thoughts 
to  his  service. 


Religious  Reading.  ill 

Religious  reading  is  a  help  to  a  religious  life  ; 
and  since  our  week  days  are  crowded  with  all 
manner  of  business,  it  is  perhaps  natural  to 
reserve  a  great  part  of  such  reading  for  the 
day  we  set  apart  for  God's  service.  But  we 
should  not  think  it  best  to  do  this  ;  it  would  be 
best  to  read  a  little  every  day  ;  if  we  cannot,  then 
it  becomes  a  necessity  to  read  on  Sunday.  To 
all,  however,  who  have  time  and  opportunity,  I 
would  like  to  say,  that  since  religious  reading  is  a 
help  to  a  religious  life,  it  should  be  a  daily  duty. 
Not  that  we  should  satisfy  the  requirements  of 
our  consciences  by  reading  a  few  pages  of  a 
good  book,  but  that  we  should  be  reminded  of 
our  duties,  and  encouraged  in  our  struggles. 
Just  as  we  fill  the  lamp  with  oil  to  keep  it  burn- 
ing, just  as  we  water  a  plant  to  keep  it  green,  so 
we  should  daily  trim  and  water  our  minds,  lest, 
in  the  hurry  and  distraction  of  our  busy  lives, 
we  forget  our  greatest  needs. 

This  daily  reading  need  not  be  dull,  should 
not  be  dull.  Neither  should  it  be  lengthy, 
There  are  hundreds  of  lives  of  men  and  women 


112  What  Shall  I  Read? 

written,  which  are  considered  religious  biogra- 
phies. They  are  doubtless  very  interesting  to 
the  immediate  relatives  of  the  subject  of  the 
biography.  They  are,  without  doubt,  horribly 
wearisome  to  every  body  else.  To  be  sure, 
these  lives  were  those  of  mortals  trying  to  be 
Christians,  and  as  such  worthy  of  respect ;  but 
still,  they  are  very  commonplace  ;  they  were  but 
mortals  ;  they  were  very  faulty,  very  fallible,  as 
one  must  be,  however  kindly  their  faults  have 
been  dealt  with  by  their  biographers. 

Unless  a  life  has  had  something  truly  elevat- 
ing in  it,  has  been  lived  to  some  great  end,  has 
had  peculiar  struggles,  or  wonderful  triumphs,  or 
glorious  results  ;  unless  it  has  some  purpose  in 
it,  it  is  scarcely  worth  recording  for  the  relig- 
ious instruction  of  others.  There  arc  lives  so 
full  of  a  direct  and  simple  purpose  that  they 
are  most  useful ;  such  a  life  as  that  of  "  Hedley 
Vicars,"  for  instance,  cannot  fail  to  do  good.  I 
do  not  mean  that  a  man  must  have  been  a 
great  philanthropist,  or  a  great  judge,  or  a 
great  preacher,  to  be  worthily  the  subject  of  a 


Religions  Reading.  1 1 3 

sketch.  A  perfectly  obscure  life  may  yet  be 
one  full  of  religious  purpose.  But  I  allude  to 
all  that  class  of  books  which  go  by  sentimental 
names,  such  as  "The  Early  Called,"  "The 
Folded  Lamb,"  "  The  Shaded  Valley,"  and  so 
forth — lives  of  sweet  and  tenderly-loved  be- 
ings, but  lives  that  served  their  end  when  they 
burned  feebly,  flickered,  and  died  in  obscurity. 
Such  books  foster  a  weak  and  sickly  sentiment ; 
they  give  the  impression  that  poor  health  is 
desirable,  and  a  habit  of  quoting  texts  essential 
To  the  robust,  these  books  are  discouraging,  if 
they  are  any  thing  at  all.  What  is  needed  in 
a  biography  that  is  called  religious  is,  that  it 
shall  in  some  wa}''  have  power  to  comfort  or  to 
strengthen  others.  We  do  not  need  to  form 
our  lives  after  any  mortal,  however  good  that 
mortal  may  have  been  ;  but  we  may  find  a  source 
of  comfort  in  the  contemplation  of  a  character 
similar  to  our  own,  whose  development  encour- 
ages us  to  hope  that  we  may  similarly  conquer 
ourselves,  where  we  know  ourselves  to  be  weak. 
Or  the  record  of  a   persevering  life  may  cheer 


114  What  Shall  I  Read? 

us  in  some  moment  of  discouragement,  remind- 
ing us  that  what  man  has  done  man  may  do. 
The  life  of  Cowper,  sad  and  distressing  as  it  is, 
has  spoken  to  many  burdened  souls,  and  shown 
them  what  they  were  slow  to  believe,  that  the 
body  alone  clogged  the  flight  of  the  true  spirit ; 
and  much  mental  distress  has  been  saved  to 
those  who  have  recognized  the  fact  through  the 
sufferings  of  that  good  man. 

But  although  biography  has  its  use,  it  is  not 
well  to  make  it  too  prominent  in  religious  read- 
ing. We  have  in  the  four  Gospels  the  perfect 
life  of  a  perfect  man.  This  is  the  life  to  read  and 
ponder,  and  to  imitate.  The  thirty-three  years 
that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  lived  for  us  are  so  full, 
that  we  may  read  of  them  from  infancy  to  old 
age  and  never  tire.  The  story  of  our  blessed 
Lord  and  Master  should  be  the  study  of  our 
life.  If  your  occupations  are  numerous,  and 
you  have  but  little  time  for  reading,  choose 
rather  to  read  about  your  Lord  than  any  of  his 
creatures.  Above  all  books,  place  your  Bible. 
Books  are  good,  but  the  Bible  is  best. 


Religious  Reading.  1 1 5 

Many  books  have  been  written  for  the  help 
and  guidance  of  Bible  readers.  These  are  use- 
ful, as  they  give  an  account  of  the  history  of 
the  Bible,  showing  when  certain  books  were 
written,  under  what  circumstances,  in  what 
language,  and  how  they  have  been  preserved. 
Nicholl's  "Help  to  Reading  the  Bible"  and 
Dr.  Pierce's  "  Word  of  God  Opened "  are  very 
useful  books  of  this  kind.  Many  commentators 
have  endeavored  to  explain  the  Scriptures,  and 
it  is  well  to  read  what  they  have  said,  but  my 
advice  is  this  :  Go  to  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God 
for  instruction,  and  on  your  knees  ask  humbly 
and  earnestly  for  his  guidance  and  direction  in 
the  study  of  the  holy  book.  If  you  do  this  sin- 
cerely you  will  understand  it.  For  the  Bible 
must  be  spiritually  discerned.  The  best  writ- 
ings of  men  will  not  teach  you  as  much  as  the 
heart-promptings  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Be  very 
careful  never  to  allow  a  presumptuous  spirit  to 
possess  you,  never  read  your  Bible  in  the  spirit 
of  argument,  acknowledge  from  the  beginning 
that  there  are   many  things  in   it  hard  to  be 


ii6  What  Shall  I  Read? 

understood,  and  wait  patiently  till  God  gives 
you  light  in  answer  to  prayer.  The  answer 
may  be  long  in  coming — wait !  The  answer 
may  be  very  different  from  the  one  you  expect- 
ed— wait !  Christ  shall  give  thee  light.  Pray 
for  it  and  wait. 

Read  your  Bible  daily,  and  you  will  learn  to 
love  it.  Perhaps  you  will  not  love  it  at  first, 
very  likely  you  will  not,  but — read  it ! 

You  remember  our  Saviour's  first  miracle 
was  to  turn  water  into  wine.  The  servants 
who  drew  the  water  did  so  simply  in  obedience 
to  his  command,  and  filled  the  water-pots  with 
tasteless  water.  That  was  all  they  were  told 
to  do,  and  they  did  it.  It  was  the  Lord's  mir- 
acle that  changed  it  to  wine.  So,  if  you,  in 
obedience  to  Christ's  command,  fill  your  hearts 
with  his  word  by  searching  the  Scriptures,  you 
do  all  you  are  told  to — wait  till  the  Lord  works 
his  miracle,  and  changes  what  has  perhaps 
been  tasteless  into  a  strengthening,  refreshing 
draught. 

I  will  try  now  to  give  you  some  idea  of  what 


Religious  Reading.  117 

general  religious  reading  should  be,  by  telling 
you  first  what  it  should  not  be. 

In  the  first  place,  it  never  should  be  secta- 
rian, by  which  I  mean,  devoted  exclusively  to 
the  interests  of  any  one  sect.  Every  Church- 
member  should,  of  course,  be  well  acquainted 
with  his  own  Church  history,  but  his  knowledge 
should  not  stop  there.  It  is  important,  I  think, 
that  liberality  of  sentiment  should  prevail  among 
Christians,  and  one  reason  that  we  fail  in  this 
particular  is  because  we  are  not  sufficiently 
well  informed.  Ignorance  always  leads  to  illib- 
erality.  I  do  not  think  it  necessary  for  young 
people  to  study  the  doctrines  of  different  de- 
nominations ;  that  would  be  a  bewildering  pur- 
suit !  But  the  history  of  different  denominations 
is  at  once  interesting  and  useful,  and  leads  us 
to  a  broad  charity,  because  we  recognize  high 
motive  and  earnest  purpose  even  where,  per- 
haps, we  deprecate  views  we  think  mistaken. 
Study  the  history  of  the  Church  Universal,  the 
holy  Catholic  Church,  the  communion  of  saints. 
You   know  the   old   story,   do  you   not,  of  the 


ii8  What  Shall  I  Read? 

church-bells  in  the  town  ?  The  Episcopal  bells, 
it  is  said,  ring  with  a  peculiar  monotony,  and 
solemnly  repeat  the  words,  "  Bishop,  priest,  dea- 
con!" The  Presbyterian  bells  ring  dolefull)', 
"  Total  depravity,  original  sin ! "  The  Meth- 
odist bells  cry  cheerfully,  "  Up  and  be  doing ! 
Pray  without  ceasing  ! "  And  the  Baptist  bells 
with  a  sharp  tinkle  exclaim,  "  Come  and  be 
dipt!''  The  story  says  the  visitor  can  tell  at 
once  what  the  church  is  by  listening  to  the  bells. 
Now  it  makes  but  little  difference  how  they  ring, 
as  long  as  the  cross  surmounts  the  spire  or  the 
belfrey,  or  is  preached  from  velvet  cushion  or 
pine  board.  If  all  the  bells  with  their  different 
sounds,  and  all  the  priests  with  their  different 
robes,  and  all  forms  or  systems  of  theology  were 
swept  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  the  cross 
should  endure !  Learn  the  story  of  the  cross, 
and  be  liberal  to  your  fellow-sinner.  Take  broad 
views,  be  courageous,  strong,  and  liberal ! 

"  Then  if  we  are  to  read  all  kinds  of  books 
you  uphold  us  in  reading  the  works  of  infidels  ! " 
Very  likely  some  of  you  will  say  this.     But  I 


Religions  Reading.  1 1 9 

answer,  No.  I  have  been  speaking  of  the  writ- 
ings of  Christians,  of  the  history  of  the  Church 
of  Christ,  and  this  question  of  yours  brings  us 
to  the  very  important  one,  "What  is  Christian 
Hterature  ? " 

Professor  Porter  answers  it  in  this  way : 
"That  hterature  alone  is  Christian  which  recog- 
nises Christ  as  the  object  of  trust  and  reverence" 

No  one  can  be  called  a  Christian  writer 
whose  works  will  not  bear  this  test.  "  Let  a 
writer  have  a  marvelous  power  of  passing  into 
the  character  which  he  depicts,  and  of  feeling 
for  the  time  the  very  emotions  which  the  char- 
acter he  impersonates  should  express.  Still, 
the  capacity  of  truly  and  adequately  rendering 
the  emotions  of  a  Christian  soul  can  scarcely 
be  reached  by  him  if  they  do  not  awaken  his 
believing  sympathy." 

This  is  entirely  true,  and  a  book  that  does 
not  speak  to  your  heart  is  not  a  good  book,  re- 
ligiously considered,  for  you  to  read.  Surely, 
one  which  ignores  your  Saviour  cannot  find 
any  response  in  your  heart,  if  you  love  him. 


I20  What  Shall  I  Read? 

I  do  7iot  uphold  the  reading  of  books  written 
by  men  who  deny  their  Lord. 

There  is  a  very  pretty,  well-written  little  alle- 
gory, called  "  The  Shadow  of  the  Cross,"  which 
I  remember  reading  when  a  child.  In  it  the 
characters  are  all  children  living  in  a  large 
garden.  To  each  is  given  a  small  cross,  with 
the  injunction  only  to  walk  in  such  paths  as 
the  cross  will  indicate  by  throwing  its  shadow 
upon  when  held  aloft.  So,  too,  they  may 
only  taste  certain  fruits,  and  go  with  certain 
companions,  and  every  thing  is  to  be  tested 
by  the  shadow  of  the  cross.  Where  it  does 
not  fall  is  danger,  where  it  does  fall  is  perfect 
safety. 

I  would  have  you  apply  this  to  your  religious 
reading.  Many  books  of  the  present  day  are 
written  by  so-called  "  advanced  thinkers."  They 
may  be  well  written,  they  may  suggest  beautiful 
thoughts  and  advance  moral  views,  but  test  them 
with  the  upheld  cross  !  Does  its  shadow  fall  on 
them .-'  If  not,  turn  away  from  them.  I  must 
say  with  sorrow,  I  cannot  see  it  in  the  writings 


ReligiotLS   Reading.  1 2 1 

of  Emerson..  I  mention  his  name  as  a  writer 
popular  among  such  young  people  as  our  better 
educated  New  England  young  men.  Thoreau 
is  another  popular  author.  Test  his  works  with 
the  cross.  Ah,  what  shall  it  avail  us  if  we 
conquer  the  world  by  our  intellect  and  lose  our 
souls  .-*  Of  what  use  is  our  intellect  if  it  will  not 
live  through  eternity }  What  is  the  value  of 
our  souls .''  God's  own  precious  blood  !  It  is 
too  fearfully  solemn  a  subject  to  be  lightly  treat- 
ed. The  novelty  of  speculation,  the  brilliancy 
of  arguments,  that  fascinate  us  now,  what  can 
they  do  for  our  souls  .'' 

Better  be  like  poor  Matt  in  Jean  Ingelow's 
beautiful  story  of  a  clouded  intellect,  for  we 
could  look  up  to  the  sky  and  say,  "  Man  that 
paid  !  "  "  Man  that  paid  !  "  Far  better  be  like 
poor  Matt,  the  idiot,  trusting  to  the  "  Man  " 
that  died  and  paid  it  all,  than  to  bring  our  minds 
before  God's  judgment-seat,  stripped  of  their 
pride,  to  hear  the  awful  words,  "  I  never  knew 
you,  depart  from  me  !  " 

Pride  of  intellect  leads  many  a  young  mind 


122  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

astray.  It  is  a  danger  peculiar  to  such  young 
people  as  have  been  well  educated,  and  have 
acquired  a  reputation  for  smartness  in  their 
schools,  or  cleverness  at  college.  A  young  man, 
for  instance,  graduates  well,  and  feels  that  he 
has  made  a  worthy  efibrt,  and  ended  his  college 
career  successfully.  His  friends  are  proud  of 
him,  he  is  proud  of  himself,  and  feels  superior 
to  many  others  whose  advantages  have  not 
been  as  good  as  his  own,  or  who  have,  perhaps, 
indolently  neglected  them.  He  feels  strong, 
young,  and  active  mentally,  and  longs  to  over- 
throw giants  ;  so  he  proceeds  to  demolish  estab- 
lished belief,  not  seeing  that  skepticism  is  the 
real  giant  he  ought  to  be  hacking  away  at.  He 
meets  with  plenty  of  books  written  in  a  fasci- 
nating way,  reads  them,  and  falls  an  easy  prey 
to  another's  mind,  thinking  meanwhile  that  he 
is  showing  the  strength  of  his  own  by  differing 
from  his  parents  and  pastors.  They  are  too  old 
fogy,  they  love  the  old,  old  story,  but  he  will  show 
them  their  error.  He  has  been  to  college,  he 
has  a   superior    intellect,    he  has  always  been 


Religious  Reading.  123 

called  clever,  he  is  clever,  Jie  will  teach  the 
world  a  thing  or  two  ! 

This  sounds  very  flat,  does  it  not  ? 

But,  foolish  as  it  is,  it  is  bitterly  sad,  because 
the  mind  that  might  progress,  retrogrades 
fearfully.  Humility  is  one  of  the  very  highest 
attributes  of  a  fine  mind.  Cpnceit  is  its  de- 
struction. 

But  apart  from  the  desire  to  do  some  great 
thing,  to  show  off,  or  to  be  eccentric,  I  believe 
there  are  many  who  are  honestly  perplexed, 
who  cannot  see  many  things  as  they  have  been 
taught  to  see  them,  and  who  read  the  works  of 
the  advanced  thinkers  of  the  present  day,  to 
try  and  find  some  answer  to  their  troublesome 
thoughts.  They  will  find  by  reading,  that  their 
cases  are  not  peculiar,  since  others  have  felt  as 
they  do.  If  they  are  sincere  in  their  inquiries 
after  truth  they  will  find  it,  but  not  in  such 
writings. 

No  soul  that  goes  to  Jesus  in  trouble  of 
mind  is  ever  sent  away  unsatisfied.  It  was  not 
brave  of  Nicodcrnus  to  go  to  Jesus  secretly  at 


124  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

night  for  instruction  he  dared  not  receive  open- 
ly, yet  Nicodemus  was  taught  by  the  Lord. 
There  is  a  legend  which  says  that  he  became  a 
courageous  and  devoted  disciple.  If  so,  it  uas 
a  good  instance  of  a  shrinking,  doubtful  soul 
made  strong.  But  if  he  had  contented  himself 
with  the  doctrine  of  the  scribes  he  would  not 
have  learned  about  Christ,  and  would  have  con- 
tinued weak,  and  doubtful,  and  ignorant.  If 
you  are  perplexed,  do  not  seek  for  help  from 
other  perplexed  thinkers.  What  good  can 
any  writer  do  you  who  merely  repeats  your 
own  misgivings,  and  does  not  suggest  an 
answer  ? 

It  is  a  case  of  the  blind  leading  the  blind.  It 
is  a  very  subtle  temptation  to  some  young 
people  to  think  highly  of  their  intellect  because 
they  are  perplexed.  They  argue  that  their  minds 
are  more  thoughtful  than  those  of  others,  who 
are  willing  to  accept  every  thing  to  save  them- 
selves the  trouble  of  thinking. 

Very  possibly  this  may  be  true  ;  but  if  they 
stop  at  the  point  of  doubt,  if  they  do  not  truly 


Religions  Reading.  125 

dcsiie  enlightenment,  then  the  very  quaUty  of 
mind  which  might  elevate  them  only  serves  to 
depress  and  ruin  them.  There  is  no  strength 
in  doubt,  but  there  is  strength  in  thought. 

There  are  books  which  would  probably  be 
very  useful  to  you  if  you  happen  to  be  in  this 
stale  of  mind.  Not  books  written  by  "  ad- 
vanced thinkers,"  as  they  are  falsely  called,  but 
by  men  whose  minds  were  really  in  advance  of 
their  age,  who  struggled  manfully  with  their 
weaknesses,  who  recognized  all  doubt  as  weak- 
ness,  who  thought  long  and  deeply,  who  were 
discouraged,  depressed,  and  harassed,  yet  who 
conquered  by  a  patient  waiting  on  the  Lord, 
and  through  constant  prayer. 

I  think  of  just  such  a  book  as  I  write.  It  is 
the  "  Life  of  Frederick  W.  Robertson,"  a  cler- 
gyman of  the  Church  of  England,  who  was, 
perhaps,  at  once  the  most  useful  and  least 
understood  man  of  his  day.  His  is  a  biography 
which  will  prove,  I  think,  a  material  help  to  all 
disturbed  thinkers.  His  was  an  uncommonly 
fine  mind,  but  through  the  circumstances  of  his 


126  What  Shall  I  Read? 

life  it  was  forced  into  channels  which  a*  first 
seemed  unnatural.  It  became  troubled  about 
many  things.  But  he  learned  to  sit  at  his  Lord 
and  Master's  feet  very  humbly,  and  found  his 
strength  in  quietness  and  confidence.  Then, 
and  not  till  then,  he  exercised  a  wonderful  in- 
fluence for  good  on  all  ;  he  was  beloved  by  all 
sects,  because  he  loved  them  all  in  the  Christ- 
like spirit  of  charity.  His  church  was  crowded 
by  all  classes,  not  because  of  any  wonderful 
oratory,  but  because  he  knew  how  to  address 
himself  to  troubled  souls.  Still  he  was  greatly 
misunderstood.  Those  who  took  a  narrow  view 
of  life  and  of  religion  censured  his  tolera- 
tion, his  broad  charity,  and  called  him  a  free- 
thinker, alluded  to  him  as  "  dangerous,"  and 
even  now  many  true-hearted  people  are  preju- 
diced against  him.  If  some  of  his  statements 
do  seem  obscure  and  novel  to  the  casual  reader, 
I  believe  him  to  have  been  a  thoroughly  evan- 
gelical man  at  heart. 

This  biography  is  one  of  the  few  that  I  con- 
sider useful — it  is  a  study.    The  development  of 


Religions   Reading,  127 

his  mind,  the  progress  of  his  Christianity,  the 
struggles  of  his  conscience,  the  triumph  of  his 
faith,  are  well  rendered,  and  it  is  a  book  that 
bears  the  shadow  of  the  cross. 

Another  most  useful  and  excellent  biography 
is  that  of  Dr.  Thomas  Arnold.  This  is  a  hap- 
pier, less  disturbed,  calmer  life,  full  of  instruc- 
tion ;  one  can  hardly  read  it  without  elevation. 
He  was  placed  in  a  position  of  great  influence, 
as  the  master  of  a  famous  English  school,  and 
he  used  this  influence  well  and  nobly.  He,  too, 
had  his  spiritual  disturbances,  but  he,  too,  con- 
quered them. 

The  lives  of  the  Wesley s  are  most  important, 
and  should  be  read  by  every  young  person  of 
every  denomination.  They  marked  an  era  in 
the  Church's  history,  and  were  those  of  true, 
earnest,  courageous  men.  Such  lives  are  like 
stirring  trumpet-notes,  they  animate  and  cheer, 
rouse  the  sluggish,  and  fire  the  enthusiastic. 
Brave  and  gentle,  terribly  earnest,  yet  loving 
and  sympathetic,  inflexible  vet  tender,  what 
wonder  that  they  produced  their  effect ! 


128  What  Shall  I  Read? 

It  is  startling  to  observe  the  immense  influ- 
ence of  individual  effort  in  the  lives  of  the  Wes- 
leys.  When  we  think  what  they  accomplished, 
single-handed,  as  we  may  almost  say,  we  stop 
to  ask  if  the  talent  God  has  given  us  lies  hid- 
den !  Such  lives  make  us  think  :  are  wc  trading 
for  our  Lord  ?  Behold,  they  had  ten  pounds  ! 
Yes,  but  what  are  we  doing  with  our  one  ? 

I  have  mentioned,  in  the  "  Course  of  Read- 
ing" I  have  given  you,  an  article  by  Froude  on 
"  Erasmus  and  Luther."  It  is  an  article  to  be 
well  thought  over  in  this  connection.  In  it  we 
see  the  difference  between  the  man  of  thought 
and  the  man  of  action.  If  you  read  the  lives  of 
men,  try  to  draw  the  proper  inference,  try  to 
receive  into  your  minds  the  right  suggestions 
these  lives  make.  If  you  can  do  this,  biography 
may  be  good  religious  reading  for  you. 

I  do  not  think  highly  of  a  certain  style  of 
book  which  is  popular  with  publishers,  and,  very 
likely,  with  readers.  I  mean  the  jerky,  discon- 
nected compilation  of  texts  and  verses  of  hymns. 
Such  books  are  very  wearing  to  the  mind.     In 


Religions  Reading.  129 

reading  them  one  is  reminded  of  certain  rail- 
roads. It  seems  impossible  to  make  a  fair  start. 
One  experiences  a  series  of  jerks  very  distress- 
ing to  the  nervous  system. 

When  we  read  a  text  we  need  the  connection. 
The  text  may  be  beautiful  in  itself,  but  cannot  be 
as -beautiful  as  if  the  gem  were  in  its  proper  set- 
ting. For  reference  books  of  texts  may  possibly 
be  useful,  though  a  Bible  student  never  has  any 
difficulty  in  finding  chapter  and  verse  ;  and  one 
always  may  use  a  Concordance.  However,  I 
do  not  wholly  condemn  such  books,  for  they  are 
often  acceptable  to  sick  people,  whose  minds 
are  not  able  to  endure  any  mental  strain.  But 
they  should  not  be  used  by  readers.  They  are 
not  reading.  I  have  known  young  girls  pore 
over  such  books.  The  same  amount  of  time 
spent  in  sustained  thought  over  one  chapter  of 
the  Bible,  or  of  any  religious  book,  would  be  more 
usefully  employed,  I  think.  It  is  an  indolent 
mind  that  can  be  satisfied  to  allow  another  to  pick 
out  all  the  beauties  of  the  Bible  for  it.   Moreover, 

the  real  sense  of  the  passage  is  often  lost  by  iso^ 
9 


130  What  Shall  I  Read? 

lating  it.  I  will  give  you  an  instance  of  whal  I 
mean.  We  will  suppose  that  we  are  reading  a 
collection  of  disconnected  comforting  assurances, 

"  If  ye  forgive  men  their  trespasses,  your 
heavenly  Father  will  also  forgive  you." 

"  If  God  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which 
to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven, 
shall  he  not  much  more  clothe  you  } " 

"  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the 
kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation 
of  the  world." 

"Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant." 

"  She  hath  done  what  she  could." 

"  The  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh 
is  weak." 

Now,  if  we  go  on  reading  a  quantity  of  these 
texts,  what  is  the  result .''  What  is  the  effect  on 
our  minds  .-'  Is  it  not  to  make  us  feel  that  we,  in 
great  measure,  deserve  all  comfort,  all  blessing — 
— that  we  do  forgive  men  their  trespasses,  that 
God  will  clothe  us  luxuriously,  that  we  are  good 
and  faithful  servants,  that  we  have  done  what 
we  could,  that  our  spirits  are  willing  } 


Religious  Reading.  131 

We  do  not  see  the  connection,  therefore  we  are 
apt  to  forget  that  if  we  forgive  not  men  their 
trespasses,  neither  shall  we  be  forgiven.  We  fail 
to  see  the  meaning  of  the  Lord's  words  when  he 
pleads  against  the  worldly  spirit ;  we  forget  that 
there  is  a  sentence  of  despair  for  the  impenitent, 
that  there  are  servants  who  are  not  good  and 
faithful,  and  possibly  we  may  be  among  the  num- 
ber ;  we  forget  the  tears  of  the  penitent  woman 
and  her  self-sacrifice,  and  rest  assured  that  we 
have  done  what  we  could ;  and  we  forget  the 
warning,  "  Watch  and  pray,  lest  ye  enter  into 
temptation."  The  same  time  spent  in  careful 
consideration  of  any  one  passage  and  its  con- 
nection would  have  been  enough  to  impress  the 
real  meaning  on  our  hearts — to  have  furnished 
mental  food  for  many  and  many  an  hour. 

To  many  minds,  books  of  devotional  poetry 
are  very  useful  and  elevating.  There  are  some 
beautiful  collections  of  hymns.  One,  called 
"  Hymns  of  the  Church  Militant,"  collected  by 
Miss  Warner,  is  very  good.  Another,  "  Hymns 
from   the  Land  of  Luther,"  is  very  acceptable 


132  What  Shall  I  Read? 

to  all  who  like  the  German  style  of,  poetry. 
"  Hymns  of  the  Ages "  is  a  fine  collection. 
Wesley's  Hymns  are  most  beautiful,  and  have 
been  gathered  together  in  one  volume  of"  Sacred 
Poetry,"  published  by  W.  H.  Kelly  &  Brother, 
New  York.  I  doubt  if  any  more  satisfactory 
book  of  devotional  poetry  is  to  be  found  than 
this.  In  the  Introduction  there  are  some  good 
remarks  on  the  subject  of  religious  poetry, 
which  I  will  quote  :  "  When  the  psalmist  ex- 
claims, 'As  the  hart  panteth  after  the  water 
brooks,  so  panteth  my  soul  after  thee,  O  God,' 
though  every  one  must  feel  the  force  and 
beauty  of  the  natural  imagery,  yet  only  he 
who  knows  by  actual  experience  what  the  Di- 
vine longing  is,  how  ardent  is  the  passion,  and 
with  what  intensity  it  seizes  and  clings  upon 
the  soul,  can  appreciate  the  spirit  of  the  verse, 
and  feel  the  living  truth  more  beautiful  than  its 
imagery,  and  more  powerful  than  any  form  of 
mere  poetry.  But  lest  that  fervor,  which  is  the 
best  characteristic  of  this  species  of  poetry, 
should  run  into  vuliiar  and  irreverent  extrava- 


Religious  Reading.  133 

gance,  it  should  be  guided  by  a  truly  poetic 
imagination,  and  be  chastised  by  a  cultivated 
taste.  Among  the  writers  of  sacred  poetry  none 
exhibit,  in  a  more  eminent  degree,  the  qualities 
described  in  the  preceding  remarks  than  Charles 
Wesley.  The  variety  of  his  compositions  is  fresh, 
they  have  long  enjoyed  a  well-established  fame, 
and  they  stand  upon  their  own  intrinsic  merits. 
As  a  valuable  aid  in  the  dissemination  of  Divine 
truth  they  are  not  unworthy  of  the  praise  of 
gaining  'listening  ears  to  the  harmonies  of 
heaven.'  The  author's  genius  is  not  only  conse- 
crated, but  subordinate  to  the  higher  principles 
of  piety,  and  every  theme  is  applied  to  the  pur- 
poses of  vital  personal  godliness." 

Bonar's  hymns  are  very  spiritual  and  lovely, 
and  have  comforted  many  with  their  sweet  ten- 
derness. They  have  also  been  collected  in  one 
volume. 

Keble  offers  a  rich  selection  of  sacred  poetry. 
Some  of  his  hymns  are  universal  favorites,  both 
in  private  and  public  worship.  One  in  particu- 
lar, an  evening  hymn  beginning,  "  Sun  of  my 


134  What  Shall  I  Read? 

soul,  thou  Saviour  dear,"  is  widely  known  and 
appreciated.  Some  of  Keble's  poetry  is  ab- 
struse, and  unfitted  for  the  very  young ;  but, 
as  a  rule,  his  hymns  are  beautiful  and  accept- 
able. Dr.  Watts  still  holds  his  place,  although 
time  has  dealt  gently  with  some  of  his  more 
rigid  views,  and  softened  some  of  his  theories. 
And  Cowper  sings  sadly  and  sweetly  to  us. 
His  hymns  are  to  be  found  chiefly  in  collections, 
as  he  did  not  write  enough  to  make  a  volume  ; 
but  all  his  poetry,  though  not  strictly  devotional, 
has  an  earnest,  religious  tone. 

Very  few  young  people  admire  George  Her- 
bert, and,  I  fear,  in  the  present  day  very  few, 
young  or  old,  care  much  for  him.  Yet  if  you 
cotild  like  him  you  would  love  him.  His  poetry 
is  so  quaint  it  repels  many,  especially  as  pub- 
lishers persist  in  giving  it  to  us  with  antiquated 
spelling  and  lettering,  which  distract  the  atten- 
tion. His  images,  too,  are  odd,  and  unusual, 
and  I  have  but  little  hope  that  he  will  prove 
attractive  to  you  ;  yet  I  must  mention  him,  for 
his  hymns  are  dear  to  my  heart.    Let  me  quote 


Religions  Reading.  135 

one  for  you.     It  is  called,  "  Church  Lock  and 
Key." 

"  I  know  it  is  my  sin  which  locks  thine  ears 

And  binds  thy  hands  ! 
Outcrying  my  requests,  drowning  my  tears  ; 

Or  else  the  dullness  of  my  faint  demands. 

"  But  as  cold  hands  are  angry  with  the  fire, 

And  mend  it  still : 
So  do  I  lay  the  want  of  my  desire 

Not  on  my  sins  or  coldness,  but  thy  will. 

"Yet  hear,  O  God  !  only  for  His  blood's  sake, 

Which  pleads  for  me : 
For  though  sins  plead  too,  yet,  like  stones,  they  make 

His  blood's  sweet  current  much  more  loud  to  be." 

Do  you  like  it  .-*  Very  likely  you  do  not. 
But  since  I  first  read  it  I  have  heard  its  music 
in  every  stony  brook  I  have  listened  to. 

Here  is  one  of  Wesley's,  called  "  Heavy-i 
Laden : " 

'•  O  that  my  load  of  sin  were  gone  ! 

O  that  I  could  at  last  submit 
At  Jesus'  lect  to  lay  me  down, 

To  lay  my  soul  at  Jesus'  feet. 


136  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

"  When  shall  mine  eyes  behold  the  Lamb? 

The  God  of  my  salvation  see  ? 
Weary,  O  Lord,  thou  know'st  I  am  : 

Yet  still  I  cannot  come  to  thee. 

"  Rest  for  my  soul  I  long  to  find : 
Saviour  of  all,  if  mine  thou  art. 

Give  me  thy  meek  and  lowly  mind, 
And  stamp  thine  image  on  my  heart. 

"  Break  off  the  yoke  of  inbred  sin. 

And  fully  set  my  spirit  free : 
I  cannot  rest  till  pure  within, — 

Till  I  am  wholly  lost  in  thee. 

"  Fain  would  I  leam  of  thee,  my  God, 
Thy  light  and  easy  burden  prove  ; 

The  cross  all  stain'd  with  hallow'd  blood, 
The  labor  of  thy  dying  love. 

"  I  would,  but  thou  must  give  the  power  ; 

My  heart  from  every  sin  release : 
Bring  near,  bring  near  the  joyful  hour  ! 

And  fill  me  with  thy  perfect  peace." 

Here  is  one  of  Bonar's,  called  "  Yonder : 

"  No  shadows  yonder  ! 

All  light  and  song. 
Each  day  I  wonder 

And  say,  How  long 
Shall  time  me  sunder 

From  that  dear  throng  ? 


Religious  Reading.  137 

"  No  weeping  yonder ' 

All  fled  away ; 
While  here  I  wander 

Each  weary  day, 
And  sigh  as  I  ponder 

My  long,  long  stay. 

"  No  partings  yonder  ! 

Time  and  space  never 
Again  shall  sunder ; 

Hearts  cannot  sever ; 
Dearer  and  fonder 

Hands  clasp  forever. 

"  None  wanting  yonder. 

Bought  by  the  Lamb  ! 
All  gathered  under 

The  evergreen  palm  ; 
Loud  as  night's  thunder 

Ascends  the  glad  psalm." 

These  hymns  give  an  idea  of  the  style  of  these 
authors.  There  are  three  good  collections  of 
religious  poems,  called  "  Lyra  Americana," 
"  Lyra  Anglicana,"  and  "  Lyra  Germanica." 
Bishop  Heber's  hymns  are  all  beautiful.  Phoebe 
and  Alice  Carey  have  given  two  volumes  of  sacred 
poetry,  one  called  "  Hymns  of  Faith,  Hope,  and 


138  What  Shall  I  Read? 

Love,"  the  other,  "  Ballads,  Hymns,"  etc. 
Anson  D.  F,  Randolph,  of  New  York,  publishes 
a  very  lovely  collection,  called  "  Religious 
Poems,"  by  the  author  of  "  Coming." 

There  are  some  well-written  sustained  relig- 
ious poems,  but  I  doubt  if  they  will  interest 
you.  One  of  these  is  by  Bickersteth,  and  is 
called  "  Yesterday,  To-day,  and  Forever."  It 
is  very  beautiful. 

It  is  wonderful  to  observe  the  great  and  last- 
ing influence  that  Milton's  "  Paradise  Lost " 
has  had.  Those  who  have  once  come  under  it 
feel  it  all  their  lives.  I  have  known  many  turn 
to  their  Bibles  to  find  certain  images  and  pas- 
sages which  they  felt  sure  were  to  be  found  in 
the  opening  chapters  of  Genesis,  and  finally,  to 
their  surprise,  were  obliged  to  acknowledge  that 
Milton  had  affected  them  so  deeply  as  to  leave 
this  impression  on  their  minds.  You  should 
read  "  Paradise  Lost "  by  all  means,  but  do  not 
confound  it  with  the  Bible. 

The  Rev.  J.  C.  Ryle  has  written  a  number  of 
Tracts  that  have  been  very  favorably  received. 


Religio2is  Reading.  139 

Sargent's  "  Temperance  Tales"  have  also  proved 
most  useful  in  their  peculiar  place. 

But  the  book  of  books  that  I  rank  next  to 
the  Bible  for  good  religious  influence,  is  John 
Bunyan's  "  Pilgrim's  Progress."  This  is  a  won- 
derful book,  and  peculiarly  attractive  to  young 
people.  It  has  been  a  help  and  a  comfort  to 
many,  and  always  will  be,  I  believe.  If  I  could 
aflbrd  only  two  religious  books  in  my  library  I 
should  buy  a  Bible  and  a  "  Pilgrim's  Progress." 

I  am  very  frank  with  you  in  saying  that 
sermons,  as  a  rule,  are  dull  for  young  people. 
Some  are  very  useful,  however,  and  had  better 
be  read  by  you. 

Those  of  Spurgeon,  the  popular  English 
preacher,  are  simple,  striking,  and  original.  / 
did  not  find  them  dull  when  I  was  young,  and  I 
do  not  believe  you  will.  Try  them,  at  all  events. 
And  those  of  Dr.  Thomas  Arnold,  on  "  The 
Christian  Life,"  are  so  excellent,  that  if  you 
really  desire  to  receive  spiritual  advancement 
through  reading,  you  cannot  do  better  than  to 
study  them. 


140  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

Dr.  GoLilburn's  "  Thoughts  on  Personal  Rclig- 
ion  "  is  an  admirable  work,  and  his  sermons  are 
all  excellent,  with,  however,  a  decided  Church-uf- 
England  bias,  as  he  is  a  clergyman  in  that  Church. 
"  The  Footsteps  of  St.  Paul,"  published  by  Car- 
ter Brothers,  is  an  interesting  life  of  the  apostle  ; 
and  Dr.  Knox  has  written  a  book  called  "  A 

Year  with  St.  Paul,"  also  very  good.     For  heav- 

« 
ier   reading   I  would  recommend  "Josephus,' 

Milman's  "  History  of  the  Jews,"  and  Stanley's 
work  on  the  same  subject.  Also,  D'Aubignc's 
"  History  of  the  Reformation,"  and  Stevens' 
"  History  of  Methodism." 

These  are  fine  works,  and  greatly  to  be  en- 
joyed by  thoughtful  minds.  If,  however,  you 
find  them  too  heavy  for  you,  do  not  toil  through 
them.  They  will  do  you  no  good  if  they  weary 
you,  and  unless  you  are  really  fond  of  reading 
and  thinking  they  will  weary  you.  Wait  till 
you  are  older.  You  see  I  am  very  honest, 
because  I  want  you  really  to  read,  and  I  do  not 
think  plodding  over  a  book  from  a  sense  of  duty 
is  reading.     These   books  may  be  too  old  for 


Religious  Reading.  141 

you.     I  will  tell  you  of  some  which  I  know  to 
be  good,  and  by  no  means  heavy. 

All  of  Mrs.  Charles'  writings  are  good,  "  The 
Schonberg    Cotta    Family "     particularly    so. 
"  Stepping  Heavenward,"   by  Mrs.  Prentiss,  is 
both   interesting   and   useful.      "The   Distant 
Hills,"    "The  Combatants,"  "The  Old  Man's 
Home,"  "  The  Dark  River,"  and  "  The  Shadow 
of  the  Cross,"  are  all  very  excellent  and  ifterest- 
ing  allegories.     "  Helen  Fleetwood  "  and  "  Per- 
sonal Recollections,"  by  Charlotte  Elizabeth,  I 
am  sure  you  will  like,  as  well  as  all  her  other 
writings.     "  The    Listener,"    by    Miss    Fry,  is 
very  acceptable.     "  Benedicite,"  by  G.  C.  Child  ; 
"  Bible  Teachings  in  Nature,"  "  Sickness,   its 
Trials  and  its  Blessings,"  "  Sweet  Counsel  for 
Girls,"  by  Sarah  Tytler,  "  The  Mutineers  of  the 
Bounty,"  are  the  names  of  very  good  books. 
All  of  Sarah  Tytler's  are  good,  though  some  are 
more  decidedly  religious  than  others.     "  Citoy- 
enne  Jacqueline,"  for  instance,  is  a  tale  of  the 
French  Revolution,  very  well  written  and  inter- 
esting, but  I  do  not  call  it  religious  :  but  most 


142  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

of  her  other  writings  may  come  under  this  head 
and  all  are  good.  Hannah  Mores  writings  are 
quaint,  but  excellent.  "  The  Memoirs  of  Port 
Royal "  is  most  interesting.  It  is  an  account 
of  the  struggles  and  persecutions  of  the  Jansen- 
ists.  "  The  Life  of  the  Authoress,  Mrs.  Schim- 
melpenick,"  is  a  charming  biography.  "  The  Life 
of  Madame  Guyon,"  and  that  of  "  Fenelon,"  form 
an  int^esting  volume. 

"  Work  ;  or,  Plenty  to  Do,  and  How  to  do  It," 
by  Margaret  Brewster,  is  a  capital  book.  All 
of  these  books  are  written  in  an  easy  style, 
and  are  much  lighter  reading  than  those  I  men- 
tioned first. 

"  Marguerite,"  by  Miss  T.  Taylor,  is  a  well- 
written  Huguenot  Story.  "The  Boyhood  of 
Martin  Luther,"  and  "  The  Life  of  Palissy,  the 
Potter,"  are  mentioned  in  the  course,  and  are 
both  very  interesting.  These  last  are  suitable 
fjr  Sunday-schools  or  parish  libraries.  "  Min- 
istering Children,"  "  The  Wide,  Wide  World," 
"The  Percys,"  "  Poor  Matt,"  "The  Little  Cap- 
tain," "  Poor  Little  Joe,"  are  all  good. 


Religious  Reading.  143 

I  will  not  attempt,  however,  to  give  any  ex- 
tended list  of  such  books. 

You  will  find  it  necessary  to  decide  for  your- 
selves what  religious  reading  is  most  adapted  to 
your  need.  It  is  impossible  to  direct  you  ;  I  have 
merely  mentioned  the  names  of  such  books  as 
I  know  to  be  good. 

After  all,  the  heart  of  a  Christian  is  like  a 
magnet  ;  it  will  only  attract  true  steel.  There 
are  many,  many  books  written — one  stands 
appalled  before  the  number.  How  can  I  tell 
you  what  to  read  for  your  religious  develop- 
ment .''  I  am  a  stranger  to  you,  although  in 
one  way  a  friend,  in  that  I  sincerely  love  and 
sympathize  with  young  people  ;  but  I  do  not 
know  you  personally,  and  cannot,  therefore,  lay 
down  direct  rules  for  your  guidance  in  this  or 
any  other  respect. 

But  this  I  can  say,  Keep  your  hearts  pure, 
pray  to  the  Source  of  light  for  wisdom,  and  your 
own  hearts  shall  then  be  your  best  counselors  ; 
you  will  know  how  to  choose  the  good  and  re- 
ject the  evil,  and  I  am  not  afraid  that  you  will 


144  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

make  any  great  mistake.  Remember  to  test  all 
books  by  the  shadow  of  the  cross  ;  remember 
that  the  world  was  saved  by  a  broad  charity ; 
avoid  lUiberality,  avoid  conceit,  avoid  dullness, 
preserve  your  independence  of  judgment,  do 
not  be  slavishly  afraid,  nor  yet  presumptuous  ; 
remember  that  the  best  of  all  men's  books  are 
still  uninspired  ;  read  them  as  helps,  but  do  not 
wholly  rely  on  them.  Use  all  commentaries, 
encyclopedias,  and  dictionaries  of  the  Bible,  if 
you  need  them,  but  remember  they  are  not 
the  Bible.  M'CHntock  &  Strong's  "Cyclope- 
dia of  Biblical,  Theological,  and  Ecclesiastical 
Literature,"  now  in  course  of  preparation  you 
will  find  useful.  Dr.  Smith's  is  a  good  Diction- 
ary. The  clergy  of  your  several  Churches  will 
probably  direct  you  in  the  use  and  selection  of 
all  such  books  of  reference.  But  I  repeat  my 
advice  to  go  humbly  by  prayer  to  the  great 
Teacher  for  light  and  wisdom, 

"  Keep  thy  heart  calm  all  day, 

And  catch  the  words  the  Spirit  there 
From  liour  to  hour  shall  say." 


Religious  Reading.  I4«, 

Do  not  let  the  writings  of  any  man  ruffle 
this  calmness.  Do  not  let  the  explanations  of 
any  man  disturb  your  faith  in  the  all-enduring 
love  and  mercy  of  God,  If  ever  your  religious 
reading  leads  you  to  troubled  thoughts,  carry 
them  all  to  Jesus,  and  come  to  him  as  a  little 
ignorant  child  with  your  trouble.     If  you  are 

"  An  infant  crying  in  the  night. 
An  infant  crying  for  the  light. 
And  with  no  language  but  a  cry," 

all  the  better,  for  Jesus  hears  such  cries  and 

gives  his  light. 
10 


146  What  Shall  I  Read? 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A  COURSE  OF  READING  ARRANGED  FOR  YOUNG 
PEOPLE.   . 

1 400. 

Child's  History  of  England.  (Reign  of  Hen- 
ry VII.) C.  Dickens. 

History  of  England.    (Reign  of  Henry  VII.)  Hume. 

Tales  of  a  Grandfather.  (Reign  of  James  IV.)  Sir  W.  Scott. 

History  of  France.     (Reign  of  Louis  XII.) 

Edited  by  Jacob  Abbott Mrs.  Markham. 

History  of  France.     (Reign  of  Maximilian 

I.)     Edited  by  Jacob  Abbott Mrs.  Markham. 

Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  (Reigns  of  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella) Prescott, 

Outlines  of  Universal  History,  from  p.  183, 

for  reference Weber. 

Life  of  Christopher  Columbus W.  Irving. 

America,  Discovery  of.    Second  Book Wm.  Robertson. 

Conquest  of  Granada W.  Irving. 

Machiavelli.     (Essay) Macaulay. 

Romola.     (Novel) George  Eliot. 

Vale  of  Cedars.     (Novel) Grace  Aguilar. 

Marmion.     (Poem) Sir  W.  Scott. 


A  Course  of  Reading.  147 

ISOO. 

Child's  History  of  England.    (Reign  Henry 

VIH.) Chas.  Dickens. 

History  of  England.     (Reign  Henry  VIII.)  Hume. 

Henry  VIII.     (Play) Shakspeare. 

Tales  of  a  Grandfather.    (Reign  James  V.)  Sir  W.  Scott. 

History  of  the  Emperor  Charles  V Prescott. 

Cloister  Life  of  Charles  V Stirling. 

Boyhood  of  Martin  Lutl>er Heniy  Mayhew. 

The  Schonberg  Cotta  Family Mrs.  Charles. 

Erasmus  and  Luther.  (Essay.)  "  Short  Stu- 
dies on  Great  Subjects  " J.  A.  Froude. 

Life  of  Michael  Angelo Grimm. 

Life  of  Vittoria  Colonna Mrs.  H.  Roscoe. 

Artist's  Married  Life.  (Albert  Durer) Scheffer. 

Household  of  Sir  Thomas  More Miss  Manning. 

The  Huguenots S.  Smiles. 

Young  Calvin  in  Paris W.  Blackburn. 

College  Days  of  Calvin W.  Blackburn. 

Conquest  of  Mexico Prescott. 

Palissy,  the  Huguenot  Potter C.  L.  Brightwell. 

Provocations  of  Madame  Palissy Miss  Manning. 

Guttenburg,  and  the  Art  of  Printing E.  C.  Pearson. 

Child's  History  of  England.  (Reign  of  Ed- 
ward VI.) Chas.  Dickens. 

Child's  History  of  England.  (Reign  of  Mary)  Chas.  Dickens. 

Queen    Elizabeth Jacob  Abbott. 

The  Rise  of  the  Dutch  Republic J.  L.  Motley. 


148  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

Don  Carlos.     (Play) F.  Schiller. 

Kenilworth.    (Novel) Sir  W.  Scott. 

Mary  Queen  of  Scots Lamartine. 

Mary  Queen  of  Scots Jacob  Abbott. 

The  Abbot.     (Novel) Sir  W.  Scott. 

Memoirs  of  Naval  Worthies.  (Queen  Eliza- 
beth's Reign) John  Barrow. 

Lord  Bacon.      (Essay) Macaulay. 

Land  of  Desolation.  (Discovery  of  Green- 
land)     Hayes. 

Amyas  Leigh.     (Novel) C.  Kingsley. 

Tasso  and  Leonora  Miss  Manning. 

Sketch  of  Shakspeare  in  "  Home  Pictures 
of  English  Poets 

Conquest  of  Peru Prescott. 

1600. 

Child's    History    of    England.     (Reign   of 

James  I.) Chas.  Dickens. 

Fortunes  of  Nigel.     (Novel) Sir  W.  Scott. 

Legend  of  Montrose.     (Novel) Sir  W.  Scott. 

America.     (Book  IX) W.  Robertson. 

Gustavus  Adolphus Mrs.  Lacroix. 

The  Piccolomini.     (Drama) S.  T.  Coleridge. 

The  Death  of  Wallenstein.     (Drama) ....   S.  T.  Coleridge. 

Sketch  of  Wallenstein  in  "  Heroes  of  Eu- 
rope " H.  G.  Hewlett. 

Henry  of  Navarre.    (Poem.)    In  his  works. .    Macaulay. 


A  Course  of  Reading.  149 

R"chelieu.    (Account  in  History  of  Civiliza- 
tion)     Buckle. 

Richelieu  ;  or,  The  Conspiracy.   (Drama). .   Bulwer  Lytton. 

Richelieu.     (Account  in   "Heroes  of  Eu- 
rope ") H.  G.  Hewlett. 

Markham's  History  of  France.     (Reign  of 

Louis  XIII.) Abbott. 

Life  of  Cromwell Lamartine. 

The  Draytons  and  Davenants.     (Story) Mrs.  Charles. 

Woodstock.      (Novel) Sir  W.  Scott. 

Milton.     (Essay) Macaulay. 

Sketch  of   Milton  in   "  Home  Pictures   of 
English  Poets  "   

Maiden  and  Married  Life  of  Mary  Powell. 

(Mrs.  Milton) Miss  Manning. 

Cherry   and   Violet.     (Story   of    Fire   and 

Plague  in  London) Miss  Manning. 

Memoirs  of  Port  Royal Mrs.  Schimmelpenick. 

Irving's   Sketch   Book,  page    188.     (King 

Philip's  War) W.  Irving. 

John  Bunyan.     (Essay) Macaulay. 

Peter  the  Great Jacob  Abbott. 

Louis  XIV Jacob  Abbott. 

Preacher  and  King.     (Historical  Novel)..   Bungener. 

Priest  and  Huguenot.  (Historical  Novel). .   Bungener. 

Memoirs  of  Celebrated    Characters.     (Ma- 
dame de  Sevigne) Lamartine. 

Madame  de  Sevigni''s  Letters 


1 50  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

Legends  of  New  England.     (Witchcraft). .   H.  B.  Spofford. 

Charles  II Jacob  Abbott. 

Child's   History   of    England.      (Reign   of 

Charles  II.) Chas.  Dickens. 

Old  Mortality.     (Novel) Sir  W.  Scott. 

Child's  History   of    England.      (Reign   of 

Charles  II.) Chas.  Dickens. 

Child's   History  of   England.      (Reigns  of 

William  and  Mary) Chas.  Dickens. 


1700. 

Child's    History   of   England.     (Reign    of 

Anne) Dickens. 

Henry  Esmond.     (Novel) Thackeray. 

English   Humorists Thackeray. 

Queens   of  Society.    (Sketch   of    Duchess 

of  Marlborough) Wharton. 

Wits  and  Beaux  of  Society.    (Clubs  under 

Anne) Wharton. 

Madame  Guyon  and  Pension T.  C.  Upham. 

Letters  by  Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montague. 

Child's    History   of    England.     (Reign    of 

George  I.) Dickens. 

The  Four  Georges Thackeray. 

History  of  France.    (Reign  of  Louis  XV.).    Markham. 

Outlines  of  Universal  History,  for  refer- 
ence      , Weber. 


A  Course  of  Reading.  151 

Sketch  of  Horace  Walpole,  (in  Wits  and 

Beaux  of  Society) Wharton. 

Life  of  George  Washington W.  Irving. 

Last  of  the  Mohicans.    (Novel) J-  F-  Cooper. 

Frederick  the  Great.  (His  Times) T.  Campbell. 

Young  Benjamin  Franklin Mayhew. 

Life  of  Wesley.    (History  of  Methodism). . .  Stevens. 

Diary  of  Kitty  Trevelyan Mrs.  Charles. 

Northern  Worthies.     (Sketch  of  Captain 

Cook.     Third  volume) H.  Coleridge. 

Marie  Antoinette Jacob  Abbott. 

Tale  of  Two  Cities.     (Novel) Chas.  Dickens. 

Citoyenne  Jacqueline.     (Novel) Sarah  Tytler. 


152  What  Shall  I  Read? 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

EXPLANATION    OF    THE    COURSE. 

JlT  is  hardly  necessary  for  me  to  explain  the 
s  arrangement  of  the  Course  of  Reading  I 
offer  you.  If  you  have  read  the  foregoing  chap- 
ters of  this  book  you  will  understand  it.  I  will, 
however,  remind  you  that  I  have  taken  great 
pains  to  arrange  it  chronologically,  that  you  may 
avoid  the  confusion  of  mind  which  arises  from 
desultory  reading.  I  have  selected  such  books 
and  articles  as  I  have  thought  best  suited  to 
young  minds,  and  such  authors  as  I  think  are 
most  direct  and  simple  in  their  style.  I  want 
you  to  remember  that  this  does  not  constitute 
a  perfect  plan.  It  is  far  from  being  perfect.  It 
is  simply  offered  as  a  help,  a  temporary  guide. 
When  your  tastes  are  more  fully  developed  you 
will  need  something  different.  Many  object 
to  courses  of  reading,  and  say  they  are  never 
followed.     I  dare  say  this  is  true,  yet  I  would 


Explanation  of  the  Course.  153 

have  been  glad  of  such  a  help  when  I  was  young, 
and  that  leads  me  to  think  many  of  you  will  be. 
I  have  mentioned  ninety  volumes,  but  many  of 
these  are  mentioned  merely  for  the  sake  of  one 
chapter  to  be  found  in  them.  For  instance,  I 
give  you  Froude's  "  Short  Studies  on  Great 
Subjects ; "  but  I  only  intend  that  you  shall 
read  the  one  essay  in  that  book,  about  Erasmus 
and  Luther.  So,  too,  I  have  mentioned  Macau- 
lay's  "  Essays,"  but  have  merely  selected  six 
of  these  essays,  and  do  not  intend  you  to 
read  all  the  rest.  I  have  also  given  you  Mark- 
ham's  "  History  of  France,"  not  because  I  want 
you  to  read  it  all  through,  but  because  it  gives 
you  information  respecting  the  reigns  of  a  few 
kings  whom  I  have  mentioned  particularly.  I 
do  not  want  you  to  read  more  in  it  than  just 
what  I  have  told  you,  for  my  great  object  is  to 
keep  your  minds  fastened  on  one  especial  age. 
And  while  you  are  occupied  with  the  reign  of  one 
king,  or  one  set  of  kings — if  I  may  so  speak, 
begging  their  majesties'  pardons — I  should  great- 
ly prefer  that  you  should  confine  your  attention 


154  What  Shall  I  Read? 

to  that  particular  time.  Do  not  "  look  before 
and  after ; "  keep  your  mind  concentrated  on 
the  few  who  were  the  principal  actors  at  the 
time.  I  have  also  given  you  Weber's  "Out- 
lines of  Universal  History,"  a  book  extremely 
heavy  to  read  through.  I  merely  intend  it  as  a 
book  of  reference  or  study.  A  page  of  it  as  all 
you  will  need  at  a  time  to  fix  facts  in  your  mind. 
"  The  Tales  of  a  Grandfather  "  is  a  very  long 
book,  as  children  say.  I  have  only  given  you  a 
few  chapters  from  it.  So  you  see  you  need  not 
be  alarmed  at  the  number  of  volumes.  It  is 
very  hard  to  find  a  well-written,  truthful  history 
that  will  really  interest  young  people,  and  I  have 
hunted  up,  with  great  care,  the  simplest  I  could 
find.  Of  course,  Hume,  or  Keightley,  or  Macau- 
lay,  are  better  historians  than  Charles  Dickens. 
But  then  Hume  and  Keightley  and  Macaulay 
and  Clarendon  will  not  interest  you  now.  They 
are  too  good.  So  I  give  you  Dickens,  who  is 
reliable  if  not  profound,  and  you  will  like  his 
history,  and,  therefore,  remember  it.  By  and 
by  you  will  read  the  heavier  works  with  pleas- 


Explanation  of  the  Course.  155 

ure,  and  with  all  the  more  delight  for  having 
prepared  the  way  for  them.  The  best  histo- 
rians assume  information  on  the  part  of  their 
readers,  which  is  precisely  what  the  youthful 
reader  fails  to  bring  when  he  sits  down  to  read 
history. 

O  I  know  that  is  true  !  although  you  have 
all  been  to  school.  But  tell  me,  confidentially, 
did  )''0U  never  throw  a  paper  ball  during  your 
history  lesson  .-'  Were  you  ever  occupied  with 
the  instinct  of  self-preservation,  which  warned 
you  that  your  toes  were  in  danger  from  your 
neighbors'  boots,  or  that  your  back  was  about  to 
be  decorated,  or  was  undergoing  the  process  of 
decoration  with  white  chalk  lavishly  bestowed 
by  a  friendly  hand  during  recitation }  These 
little  facts  are  inglorious  but  important.  For 
who  can  remember  any  thing  about  that  ever- 
lasting Smalcaldic  League,  when  an  entire  fres- 
co was  being  perpetrated  on  a  new  coat  or  dress, 
or  a  pin  point  had  penetrated  the  cuticle  in  the 
region  of  the  knee,  just  as  the  good  professor  was 
explaining  that  interesting  subject.      No.     Let 


156  What  Shall  I  Read? 

us  frankly  admit  to  each  other — just  you  and  I, 
dear  reader — with  closed  doors,  that  a  good  deal 
of  school  knowledge  went  in  at  one  ear  and  out 
at  the  other.  This  is  a  secret  that  shall  die 
with  us.  But  still,  as  you  see,  we  need  a  good 
easy  little  book  to  refresh  our  memories  before 
we  read  Clarendon,  don't  we  ?  However,  it  will 
not  do  to  be  lazy.  Once  in  awhile  you  must 
read  a  history  through  from  beginning  to  end. 
The  first  of  these  I  have  given  you  is  Prescott's 
"  History  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella."  If  you 
like  history  at  all,  you  will  like  this.  Try  and 
get  an  edition  on  good,  clear  type ;  it  really  makes 
a  difference  to  the  young  reader.  Fine  type  is 
very  trying  to  the  eyes,  and  has  a  discouraging, 
touch-me-not  look  from  the  first.  "  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella,"  in  a  pleasant  edition,  is  to  be 
read  allthronght  my  young  friends,  without  shirk- 
ing, if  you  please !  I  think  you  will  like  it,  I 
know  you  will  like  Irving's  "  Columbus  ;  "  and 
Robertson's  "America"  is  another  book  that 
calls  for  patient  attention.  It  is  the  second 
volume      that     contains     the      "  Discovery    of 


Explanation  of  the  Course.  157 

America,"  and  that  is  the  one  for  you  to  read 
in  connection  with  "  Columbus  "  and  "  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella."  You  see  now,  do  you  not, 
how  I  have  arranged  the  course  ? 

I  begin  with  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century. 
Consequently,  having  found  out  briefly  who  were 
the  contemporaneous  monarchs  of  that  time, 
and  having  given  you  very  short  accounts  of 
them,  I  specify  a  good  book,  giving  you  the  im- 
portant fact  of  that  age,  and  all  matters  relating 
to  it.  The  important  fact  of  this  period  was 
the  discovery  of  America,  so  I  give  you  a 
long  account  of  the  Spanish  monarchs,  a  long 
account  of  Christopher  Columbus,  and  a  long 
account  of  the  discovery.  Then  we  find 
that  there  was  an  important  conquest  made 
about  this  time,  so  we  read  Irving's  "Conquest 
of  Granada."  Then  we  find  that  a  celebrated 
Italian  statesman  lived  at  this  time,  so  we  read 
Macaulay's  "  Essay  on  Machiavelli."  Being  a 
little  bit  tired  of  solid  reading,  we  take  up  a 
well-written  novel,  in  which  we  find  further 
mention    of  "  Machiavelli,"  a    very    interesting 


158  What  Shall  I  Read? 

view  of  the  character  of  "  Savonarola,"  and  a 
general  idea  of  Italy  at  that  time.  This  we 
find  in  "  Romola."  Another  novel, called  "The 
Vale  of  Cedars,"  lets  us  into  the  secret  tribunal 
of  the  Inquisition,  in  which  we  were  inter- 
ested while  reading  about  Spain,  So,  when  we 
have  read  as  much  as  this,  we  shall  be  toler- 
ably well  informed  about  the  close  of  the 
fifteenth  century. 

Of  course  you  may  select  any  age  you  like  to 
read  about.  I  began  with  "  The  Discovery  of 
America,"  because  I  am  writing  for  young 
Americans.  But  the  course  is  all  arranged  on 
the  same  plan. 

As  it  is  not  likely  that  many  of  you  will  own 
libraries  large  enough  to  supply  all  the  books  I 
mention,  you  will  find  it  necessary  to  join  some 
public  library.  The  subscription  for  one  year 
will  not  cost  you  more  than  five  dollars.  If  you 
live  where  there  are  no  libraries,  do  your  best  to 
establish  a  book  club.  This  is  done  by  repre- 
senting to  your  friends,  neighbors,  and  acquaint- 
ances what  a  good  thing  it  will  be  to  have  a 


Explanation  of  the  Course.  159 

quantity  of  books  for  the  use  of  the  community, 
and  by  soliciting  their  subscriptions  for  a  club. 
Many  will  refuse  ;  but  if  you  go  into  the  busi- 
ness with  spirit,  many  will  agree  with  you,  that 
it  is  a  good  idea.  A  little  persuasion  will  con- 
vince some,  a  little  importunity  will  weary 
others  into  acceding  to  your  demands,  and  a 
sufficient  sum  will  be  raised  to  enable  you 
to  purchase  your  books.  Here  is  a  useful 
suggestion  from  "  an  old  bookseller "  on  this 
subject : — 

"  In  starting  a  library,  select  from  the  accom- 
panying list  fifty,  or  a  hundred,  or  more,  vol- 
umes, and  take  (or  send)  your  list  to  some  re- 
sponsible bookseller,  and  he  will  fill  it  for  you  at 
a  fair  discount  from  the  retail  prices  •  he  can,  of 
course,  and  will,  furnish  the  whole  list  cheaper 
than  he  could  by  a  single  volume  at  a  time." 

Every  book  club  must  be  conducted  on 
a  plan  suited  to  its  own  necessities.  It  is 
not  possible  to  dictate  rules,  they  will  suggest 
themselves  to  the  members,  and  can  be  decided 
upon  as  is  deemed  best  in  your  several  commu- 


i6o  What  Shall  I  Read? 

nities.  Of  course  neatness,  promptness,  and 
order,  are  requisite.  The  number  of  volumes 
purchased  by  the  club  must  be  settled  by  the 
amount  of  money  raised.  At  the  end  of  ihe 
year  the  books  can  be  sold,  either  at  auction 
or  otherwise,  which  will  give  you  a  little  fund 
with  which  to  begin  a  new  year's  library. 

I  will  give  you  the  retail  price  of  the  books  I 
have  mentioned  in  the  first  section  of  the  course, 
that  marked  as  1400,  and  you  will,  perhaps,  be 
surprised  to  find  how  many  books  you  can 
buy  for  a  little  money.  Remember  that  in  buy- 
ing this  list  you  are  getting  more  than  I  have 
mentioned,  because  you  are  purchasing  all 
of  Macaulay's  "  Essays,"  all  of  Robertson's 
"America,"  all  of  Hume's  "History,"  (in  a 
school  edition,)  all  of  Dickens'  "  History  of 
England,"  all  of  Markham's  "  France,"  of  Scott's 
"  Tales  of  a  Grandfather,"  and  the  account  of 
the  "  Companions  of  Columbus,"  by  Irving,  as 
well  as  "  The  Life  of  Columbus."  These  are 
all  very  valuable  books  to  own.  Let  us  see  how 
much  they  will  cost. 


Explanation  of  the  Course.  i6r 

Dickens'  Histor}-  of  England $i   5° 

Green's  History  of  English  People i  75 

Markham's  History  of  France i   75 

Tales  of  a  Grandfather 5  00 

Robertson's  America 2   25 

Macaulay's  Essays   6  25 

Irving's  Columbus 675 

Irving's  Conquest  of  Granada I  25 

Prescott's  Ferdinand  and  Isabella 7  50 

Romola o  75 

Vale  of  Cedars i  00 


Total $35   75 

There  are  very  few  communities  that  cannot 
afford  this  sum,  and  for  this  sum  you  can,  as  you 
see,  procure  a  library  that  will  give  you  plenty  of 
reading  for  a  year. 

Even  if  many  of  your  friends  objected,  you 
could  still  probably  find  six  willing  to  give  five 
dollars,  which  would  give  you  enough  to  pur- 
chase this  list  if  you  leave  out  "  The  Tales  of 
a  Grandfather  "  and  "  The  Vale  of  Cedars." 

But  your  difficulty  in  getting  up  your  club 

will  be  that  many,  perhaps  most,  of  your  friends 

will  not  care  to  follow  this,  or  any  other,  course 

of  reading.     In  that  case  yield    the  point,  and 
11 


i62  What  Shall  I  Read? 

continue  to  get  up  your  club,  selecting  your 
books  as  well  as  you  may.  You  can  make  use 
of  the  suggestions  I  have  given  you,  but  it  is 
not  wise,  nor  is  it  kind,  to  insist  upon  your 
friends  thinking  as  you  think,  and  acting  as  you 
act ;  therefore  consult  their  tastes,  listen  to 
their  suggestions,  and  remember  that  all  have  a 
right  to  speak  who  subscribe.  I  should  not 
think  it  worth  while  to  form  a  club  for  the  pur- 
chase of  ordinary  novels  ;  but  if  many  members 
of  your  community  are  averse  to  solid  literature, 
there  is  still  a  large  selection  to  be  made  among 
works  of  fiction,  magazines,  and  periodicals — 
and  the  best  of  these  are  useful  and  agreeable 
reading. 

There  are  some  magazines  that  all  young  peo- 
ple like.  Here  is  a  list  of  some  of  the  principal 
magazines  suitable  for  those  who  do  not  want 
very  solid  reading : 

St.  Nicholas.     Monthly.     New  York  . 
Harper's  Monthly. 

Appleton's  Journal.     Illustrated.     New  York. 
Scribner's  Montlily. 


Explanation  of  the  Course.  163 

Harper's  Weekly.     Illustrated.    New  York. 
Harper's  Bazar. 

Atlantic   Monthly.     Literary.     Boston. 
Blackwood's  Magazine.      (Reprint.)      New  York. 
Littell's  Living  Age.    Literary.     Weekly.     Boston. 
The  Art  Journal. 

These  are  all  good  and  moral  in  their  tone, 
and  it  is  pleasant  and  profitable  to  have  them 
circulating  in  a  small  society.  Perhaps  you 
might  effect  a  compromise,  and  include  some  of 
these  periodicals  in  your  list  to  please  those  of 
your  friends  who  object  to  Macaulay  and  Hume. 
In  fact,  it  is  a  very  good  plan  to  introduce  two 
or  three  good  magazines  into  any  book  club. 

If  you  are  in  earnest  in  your  wish  to  read, 
I  do  not  think  you  will  be  hindered  by  the 
expense  of  procuring  books. 

^11  those  who  live  in  or  near  large  cities  will 
find  all  they  want  in  a  public  library  for  five 
dollars  per  annum  ;  and  those  who  live  far  away 
in  the  country  can,  with  a  little  energy,  raise 
enough  money  by  subscription  to  purchase  a 
good  library  in  the  way  I  have  mentioned 


164  What  Shall  I  Read? 

I  should  like  you  all  to  read  a  book  written 
by  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  called  "  Eyes  and 
Ears,"  and  see  what  he  says  about  the  duty  of 
owning  books.  It  is  not  possible  for  all  to  own 
books,  but  it  is  to  many ;  and  those  who  can 
afford  it  should, 

Beecher  says  :  "  Let  us  congratulate  the  poor 
that,  in  our  day,  books  are  so  cheap  that  a  man 
may  every  year  add  a  hundred  volumes  to  his 
library  for  the  price  of  what  his  tobacco  and  his 
beer  would  cost  him.  Among  the  earliest  am- 
bitions to  be  exerted  in  clerks,  workmen,  and, 
indeed,  among  all  that  are  struggling  up  in  life 
from  nothing  to  something,  is  that  of  owning 
and  constantly  adding  to  a  library  of  good  books. 
A  little  library,  growing  larger  every  year,  is 
an  hojwrable part  of  a  young  mans  history.  It 
is  a  man's  duty  to  have  books,  A  library  is  not 
a  luxury,  but  is  one  of  the  necessaries  of  life." 

In  another  part  of  this  same  book  Mr,  Beecher 
says  :  "  The  love  of  knowledge  in  a  young  mind 
is  almost  a  warrant  against  the  inferior  excite- 
ment of  passions  and  vices." 


Explanation  of  the  Coicrse.  165 

I  think  I  hear  some  of  my  friends  say,  "  This 
book  is  coming  to  an  end  apparently,  and  not 
one  word  has  been  said  about  Shakspeare ! " 
Very  true  !  And  when  I  think  of  all  that  has 
been  said,  and  all  that  shall  be  said,  about  the 
works  of  William  Shakspeare,  I  feel  that  further 
remarks  from  me  are  unnecessary.  I  refer  you 
to  some  excellent  critics  on  the  subject,  in  the 
list  of  books  which  I  subjoin,  and  I  sum  up  all 
the  remarks  I  have  to  offer  in  this  one  short 
sentence,  which  you  will  please  to  remember : 

Read  Shakspeare. 
And  having  said  this,  it  occurs  to  me  to  say  no 
more.     When  one  has  said  all  one  has  to  say,  it 
is  a  good  time  to  stop. 

So  good-bye,  dear  readers,  good-bye,  in  the 
true  sense  of  the  word.  May  you  be  none  the 
worse  for  my  efiforts  to  make  you  better,  and 
may  God  be  with  you  ! 


i66  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 


CHAPTER  IX. 

CATALOGUE    OF    BOOKS    RECOMMENDED. 

Histories. 

A  Short  History  of  the  English  People. ...  J.  R.  Green. 

History  of  England Macaulay. 

History  of  England Froude. 

America \V.  Robertson. 

Conquest  of  Mexico Prescott. 

Conquest  of  Peru Prescott. 

The  Rise  of  the  Dutch  Republic Motley. 

The  United  Netherlands Motley. 

History,  General  Sketch E.  A.  Freeman. 

History  of  the  United  States Bancroft. 

History  of  the  United  States T.W.  Higginson. 

Popular  History  of  the  United  States Brjant  &  Gay. 

France  and  its  Revolutions R.  Chambers. 

Ferdinand  and  Isabella Prescott. 

Italian  Republics Sismondi. 

Scotland  and    India Robertson. 

History  of  the  Reformation D'Aubigne. 

History  of  the  Girondists Lamartine. 

Tales  of  a  Grandfather W.  Scott. 

Charles  V Prescott. 

Philip  II Prescott. 


Catalogue  of  Books  Recommended.       167 

Chronicles Froissart. 

History  of  Greece W.  Smith,LL.D. 

History  of  Rome Liddell. 

Fryxell's  History  of  Sweden M.  Howitt. 

Child's  History  of  England Chas.  Dickens. 

The  Huguenots S.  Smiles. 

Life  of  John  of  Barnaveld Motley. 

Books  of  Reference. 

Dictionary,  Unabridged Webster. 

Dictionary,  Unabridged Worcester. 

Atlas Colton. 

Atlas Mitchell. 

Atlas Black. 

Dictionary  of  Dates Hayden. 

World's  Progress Putnam. 

Encyclopaedia Chambers. 

American  Annual  Cyclopoedia Appleton. 

History  of  Roman  Classical  Literature  ....   R.  W.   Browne. 

Outlines  of  Universal  History Weber. 

Cyclopaedia  of  Biography.     Universal Goodwin. 

Brief  Biographies Hole,  Wheeler. 

Dictionary  of  Quotations Bartlett. 

Concordance.    Biblical ...    Cruden. 

Biblical,    Theological,     and      Ecclesiastical 

Literature , M'Clintock  &  Strong 

Dictionary  of  Latin   Quotations Bohn. 

C  lassical  Dictionary Anthon. 


1 68  What  Shall  I  Read? 

Biographies. 

Life  and  Times  of  John  Wesley L.  Tyerman. 

Life  of  Oliver  Goldsmith W.  Irving. 

Life  of  Mohammed W.  Irving. 

Life  of  Samuel  Johnson Boswell.  v/' 

Life  of  R.  B.  Sheridan Thomas  Moore. 

Life  of  Byron Thomas  Moore. 

Life  of  Patrick  Henry Wirt. 

Lord  Clive.      (Essay.) Macaulay. 

Pitt,     (Essay) iMacaulay. 

Warren  Hastings.     (Essay.) Macaulay. 

Life  of  Lord  Nelson Southey. 

Life  and  Letters  of  Charles  Lamb Talfourd. 

Life  of  Sir  Walter  Scott Lockhart. 

Life  of  Robert  Bums Lockhart. 

Life  of  Cowper,  with  his  Works Southey. 

Recollections  of  Shelley  and  Byron Trelawney. 

Life  of  Charles  Dickens Forster. 

Life  of  Charlotte  Bront^ Mrs.  Gaskell. 

Brief  Biographies S.  Smiles. 

Life  of  Bishop  Heber Mrs.  Heber. 

Shakspeare Charles  Knight. 

Thomas  Hood's  Memorials By  his  son. 

My  Schools  and  Schoolmasters Hugh  Miller. 

Life  and  Letters  of  Washington  Irving Pierre  Irving. 

Life  of  Faraday Gladstone. 

Life  of  Douglas  Jcrrold   W.  B.  Jerrold. 


Catalogue  of  Books  Recojnmeiided.       169 

Life  and  Letters  of  Lord  Macaulay Otto  Trevelyan. 

William  Penn.     (Essay  on) Macaulay. 

Life  of  Aaron  Burr M.  L.  Davis. 

Life  of  Napoleon Hazlitt. 

Autobiography  of  Mrs.  Schimmelpenick  . .  Hankins. 

Gustavus  Adolphus Mrs.  Lacroix. 

Autobiography  of  Benjamin  Franklin Bigelow. 

Life  of  Thomas  Moore Russell. 

Life  of  George  Stephenson Smiles. 

Life  of  Washington Irving. 

Life  of  a  Scotch  Naturalist,  Thos.  Edwards.  S.  Smiles. 

Charles  Kingsley,  (Letters  and  Memoirs  of)  Ed'dby  his  Wife. 

Household  Library,  published  by  Sheldon  (Sr"  Co. 

1.  Life  and  Martyrdom  of  Joan  of  Arc  . . .  Michelet. 

2.  Life  of  Robert  Burns Robert  Carlyle. 

3.  Life  and  Teachings  of  Socrates Grote. 

4.  Life  of  Columbus Lamartine. 

5.  Life  of  Frederick  the  Great Macaulay. 

6.  Life  of  William  Pitt Macaulay. 

7.  Life  of  Mohammed Gibbon. 

8.  Life  of  Luther Charles  Bunsen. 

9.  Life  of  Oliver  Cromwell Lamartine. 

ro.  Life  of  Torquato  Tasso G.  H.  Wiffen. 

ri.  12.  Life  of  Peter  the  Great O.  W.  Wight. 

13.  Life  of  IMilton Masson,  Macaulay. 

14.  Life  of  Thomas  a  Becket Dean  Milman. 

15.  Life  of  Hannibal T.  Arnold,  LL.D 


170  What  Shall  I  Read? 

16.  Life  of  Vittoria  Colonna Roscoe. 

17.  Life  of  Julius  Cesar H.  G.  Liddell. 

18.  Life  of  Mary  Stuart ....  Lamartine. 

Books  of  Travels. 

Notes  on  England Taine. 

Rome  and  Naples Taine. 

Walks  in  Rome. Hare. 

Russia Wallace. «/ 

The  Irish  Sketch  Book Tliackeray. 

Ride  to  Khiva Burnaby. 

The  Innocents  Abroad.  (Europe  and  Palestine.)  Clemens. 

Letters  from  High  Latitudes Lord  Dufferin. 

New  York  to  Delhi R.  Minturn. 

A  Boy's  Journey  Round  the  World Smiles. 

Arctic  Expedition Kane. 

Open  Polar  Sea J.  J.  Hayes. 

Arctic  Boat  Journey Hayes. 

Land  of  Desolation PI  ayes. 

India,  China,  and  Japan Bayard  Taylor.  '*^ 

Wild  Life  Under  the  Equator Du  Chaillu. 

Equatorial  Africa Du  Chaillu. 

Travels  in  Austria Kohl. 

Palestine Kitto. 

Journey  in  Brazil Agassiz. 

Eldorado,  Mexico,  and  California Bayard  Taylor. 

Travels  in  Canada J.  G.  Kohl. 

Homes  of  the  New  World F.  Bremer. 


Catalogue  of  Books  Recommended.      171 

Roughing  it  in  the  Bush Mrs.  Moodie. 

Western  Clearings Mrs,  Moodie. 

A  New  Home — Who'll  Follow? Mrs.  Kirkland. 

Journey  Through  the  Chinese  Empire Hue. 

Colorado.     A  Summer  Trip. Bayard  Taylor. 

A  Crusade  in  the  East J.  R.  Browne. 

Our  Artist  in  Cuba G.  W.  Carleton. 

Letters  from  the  East W.  C.  Bryant. 

Eothen.     Traces  of  Travel  in  the  East  ....   Kinglake. 

Nile  Notes  of  a  Howadji G.  W.  Curtis. 

Monuments  of  Egypt F.  L.  Hawks. 

Boat  Life  in  Egypt W.  C.  Prime. 

Discovery  of  the  Source  of  the  Nile Speke. 

Impressions  of  England A.  C.  Coxe. 

Our  Old  Home Hawthorne. 

English  Note-Books Hawthorne. 

First  Impressions  of  England Hugh  Miller. 

Rural  Life  in  England Howitt. 

Travels  in  Germany Kohl. 

Germany Mad.  de  Stael. 

Home  Life  in  Germany C.  L.  Brace. 

Tent  Life  in  Syria  and  the  Holy  Land W.  C.  Prime. 

Italian  Journeys W.  D.  Howells. 

Venetian  Life W.  D.  HowelU 

Station  I^ife  in  New  Zealand Lady  Barker. 

Nineveh  and  Its  Remains A.  H.  Layard. 

Northern  Travel Bayard  Taylor 

A  Tour  to  the  Hebrides J.  Boswell. 


1/2  What  Shall  I  Read? 

A  Summer  in  Scotland Jacob  Abbott. 

In  Spain H.  C.  Andersen. 

Life  in  Spain Thombury. 

Pictures  of  Travel  in  Sweden H.  C.  Andersen. 

The  Howadji  in  Syria G.  W.  Curtis. 

Journal  in  America Mrs.  F.  Kemble. 

The  Plains  of  the  Great  West R.  I.  Dodge. 

Travels  in  the  United  States J-  G.  Kohl. 

California Charles  Nordhoff. 

Life  in  South  Africa Lady  Barker. 

Exploration  of  Nile  Tributaries  of  Abyssinia  S.  W.  Baker. 

Essays  and  Literary  Criticisms. 

Autumn  Holidays.     (Country  Parson) A.  K.  H.  Boyd, 

Counsel  and  Comfort do. 

Every  Day  Philosopher do. 

Leisure  Hours  in  Town do. 

Recreations  of  a  Country  Parson do. 

Spare  Hours J.  Brown,  M.D. 

Prue  and  I Geo.  W.  Curtis. 

Country  Living G.  Hamilton. 

Stumbling  Blocks G.  Hamilton. 

Short  Studies  on  Great  Subjects J.  A.  Froude. 

Lectures  and  Essays Henry  Giles. 

The  Bee,  and  Miscellaneous  Works O.  Goldsmith. 

A  Day  by  the  Fire Leigh  Hunt. 

Sketch  Book  and  Essays W.  Irving. 

Essays  on  Literature  and  Art Mrs.  Jameson. 


Catalogue  of  Books  Recommended.       173 

Essays  of  Elia Charles  Lamb. 

Among  my  Books J.  R.  Lowell. 

My  Study  Windows J.  R-  Lowell. 

Essays Lord  Macaulay. 

Salmagundi Irving  and  Paulding. 

Essays    Sidney  Smith. 

The  Spectator Addison. 

The  Chimney  Corner  ...    Mrs.  Stowe. 

Miscellanies  and  Essays Thackeray. 

The  Roundabout  Papers Thackeray. 

Essays  and  Reviews E.  P.  Whipple. 

Essays.     (Christopher  North) Prof.  J.  P.  Wilson. 

Recreations  of  Christopher  North Prof.  J.  P.  Wilson. 

Wit  and  Wisdom  of  Sydney  Smith Duyckinck. 

Lectures  on  Shakspeare  and  Milton Coleridge. 

Human  Life  in  Shakspeare C.  Giles. 

Female  Characters  of  Shakspeare Mrs.  Jameson. 

Shakspeare  and  His  Times Guizot. 

Literature  and  Romance  of  Northern  Europe.  Mrs.  M.  Howitt. 

Literature  of  the  South  of  Europe Sismondi. 

Curiosities  of  Literature D'Israeli. 

Half  Hours  with  the  Best  Authors Knight. 

Essays Bacon. 

Religious  Works. 

Pilgrim's  Progress Bunyan. 

Lecture  Room  Talks H.  W.  Bcecher. 

'riii)U;;hls  on  Personal  Religion E.  M.  Goulbuin. 


174  What  Shall  I  Read? 

Sermons E.  M.'Goulbum. 

Life  and  Letters  of  Fred'k  W.  Robertson. . 

Sermons F.  W.  Robertson. 

Life  and  Letters  of  Thomas  Arnold 

Sermons Thos.  Arnold. 

Endeavors  After  the  Christian  Life Jas.  Martineau. 

Ten  Great  Religious  Beliefs J-  F-  Clarke. 

Pursuit  of  Holiness E.  M.  Goulburn- 

Graver  Thoughts  (of  Country  Parson) Boyd. 

Benedicite.  (The  Power  and  Wisdom  of  God.)   G.  C.  Child. 

Silence  and  Voices  of  God Farrar. 

Sermons Spurgeon. 

Martin  Luther C.  W.  Hubner. 

Imitation  of  Christ T.  a  Kempis. 

Stepping  Heavenward E.  Prentiss. 

Words  that  Shook  the  World Rev.  C.  Adams. 

Sermons H.  W.  Beecher. 

Wesley's  Letters 

Poems Charles  Wesley. 

Wonderful  Life . .   Daniel  Wise. 

The  Life  of  Christ Farrar. 

The  Listener Caroline  Fry. 

Memoirs  of  Port  Royal Mrs.  Schimmelpenick. 

Life  of  Mary  Anne  Schimmelpenick 

Avesha Emma  Leslie. 

Leofwine,  the  Saxon Emma  Leslie. 

Elfreda Emma  Leslie. 

Flavia Emma  Leslie. 


Catalogue  of  Books  Recommended.        175 

Glaucia Emma  Leslie. 

Laneton  Parsonage Sewell. 

Repository  Tracts   Hannah  More. 

History  of  the  Jews Milman. 

History  of  the  Jewish  Church Stanley. 

The  Land  and  the  Book Tliomson. 

Sinai  and  Palestine Dean  Stanley. 

Sermons  on  Pauperism B.  Lambert. 

The  Priest  and  Huguenot Bungener. 

History  of  the  Eastern  Church Dean  Stanley. 

History  of  Methodism Stevens. 

How  to  Study  the  New  Testament Henry  Alford. 

Student's  New  Testament  History W.  Smith,  LL.D. 

The  Footsteps  of  St.  Paul 

Books  of  Amusement. 
This  list  is  designed  for  the  use  of  those  who 
wish  to  read  the  better  class  of  novels  and  hu- 
morous  works,    simply  for   amusement.     It   is 
carefully  selected. 

Pride  and  Prejudice. .  .    Miss  Austen. 

Sense  and  Sensibility Miss  Austen. 

Vathek.     A  Tale  of  Oriental  IJfe W.  Beckford. 

The  Strange  Adventures  of  a  Phreton W.  Black. 

The  Semi-Detached  House Emily  Eden. 

The  Semi-Attached  Couple Emily  Eden. 

One  Summer Blanche  Howard. 


1/6  What  Shall  I  Read? 

Marjorie  Fleming J.  Brown,  M.D. 

Tom  Brown's  School  Days  at  Rugby Thos.  Hughes. 

Tom  Brown  at  Oxford Thos.  Hughes. 

Little  Pedlington J.  Poole. 

The  Old  Ma'amselle's  Secret E.  Marlitt. 

Gold  Elsie E.  Marlitt. 

Traits  and  Stories  of  Irish  Peasantry Wm.  Carleton. 

Thompson  Hall A.  Trollope. 

Our  Village M.  R.  Mitford. 

The  Spy J-  F.  Cooper. 

The  Leather-Stocking  Tales J-  F.  Cooper. 

Ingham  Papers E.  E.  Hale. 

How  To  Do  It E.  E.  Hale. 

A  Week  in  a  French  Country  House Sartoris. 

The  Lamplighter M.  S.  Cummings. 

Wake  Robin John  Burroughs. 

Winter  Sunshine John  Burroughs. 

Birds  and  Poets John  Burroughs. 

Helen M.  Edgeworth. 

The  Romance  of  a  Poor  Young  Man A.  Feuillet. 

Helen's  Babies Habberton. 

Mrs.  Limber's  Raffle 

Misunderstood F.  Montgomery^ 

Their  Wedding  Journey W.  D.  Howells. 

Fred  and  Maria  and  Me Mrs.  Prentiss. 

William  Henry's  Letters Mrs.  A.  M.  DiaA 

Alice  in  Wonder  Land Lewis  CaiToll. 

Through  the  Looking  Glass Lewis  Carroll. 


Catalogue  of  Books  Rccovimcnded.       I'j'j 

The  Story  of  My  Life H.C.Andersen, 

Tent  Life  in  Siberia Rennan. 

The  Sparrow-grass  Papers Cozzens. 

The  Ingoldsby  Legends Barham. 

Out  of  the  Question W.  D.  Howells. 

Rejected  Addresses IL  &  J.  Smith. 

Up  the  Rhine Thomas  Hood. 

Whims  and  Oddities Thomas  Hood. 

Phoenixiana G.  H.  Derby. 

That  Lass  O'Lowrie's Francis  Burnett. 

Norwood H.  W.  Beeclier. 

A  Chance  Acquaintance W.  D.  Howells. 

Off  the  Skelligs Jean  Ingelow. 

Hope  Leslie E.  Sedgwick. 

Amy  Herbert Miss  Scwell. 

Pink  and  White  Tyranny Mrs.  Stowe. 

Tales,  etc Miss  Thackeray. 

We  Girls   Mrs.  Whitney. 

My  Prisons Silvio  Pellico. 

The  Greatest  Plague  of  Life Mayhew. 

Suburban  Sketches W.  D.  Howells. 

A  Foregone  Conclusion W.  D.  Howells. 

Arabian  Nights'  Entertainment 

Miss  Angel Miss  Thackaray, 

Norway  and  the  Norwegians H.  Martineau. 

Fly  Leaves.     (Humorous  Poems) C.  S.  C. 

20,000  Leagues  under  the  Sea Jules  Verne. 

A  Tour  of  the  World  in  Eighty  Days  ....  Jules  Verne. 
12 


178  WiLAT  Shall  I  Read  ? 

Fiction. 

A  list  of  works  of  fiction  mentioned  in  the 
chapter  headed  Fiction,  with  the  author's  name 
alphabetically  arranged. 

Aguilar,  Grace  : — 

Home    Influence ;  Home  Scenes    and    Heart    Studies ; 

Mother's  Recompense  ;  The  Vale  of  Cedars. 
Alcott,  l.ouisa  M.  : — 

Hospital   Sketches  ;  Little  Women  ;  Little    Men  ;    Old- 

Fashioned    Girl  ;   My   Boys ;   Eight  Cousins  ;    Roses  in 

Bloom. 
Andersen,  H.  C. : — 

The  Tmprovisatore  ;  Only  a   Fiddler  ;  Fairy   Tales   and 

Stories. 
Bremer,  Frederika : — 

The  Neighbors  ;  The  Home. 
Bronte,  Charlotte : — 

Villette;  Shirley. 
Charles,  Mrs. : — 

Chronicles  of  the  Schonberg-Cotta  Family  ;  Diary  of  Kitty 

Trevelyan ;    Davenants    and  Draytons  ;    Early     Dawn  ; 

Both   Sides  of  the  Sea ;  Winifred   Bartram  ;  Victory  of 

the  Vanquished  ;  Cripple  of  Antioch ;  Martyr  of  Spain  ; 

Sketches  of   Christianity  ;  Two  Vacations. 
Craik,  Mrs.,  (Dinah  Mulock) : — * 

John  Halifax,  Gentleman  ;  A  Life  for  A  Life ;  Christian's 

Mistake  ;  A  Noble  Life  ;  The  Woman's  Kingdom. 


Catalogue  of  Books  Recommended.      179 

Dickens,  Charles : — 

Dombey  and  Son :  Nicholas  Nickleby  ;  Barnaby  Rudge  ; 

Sketches ;    Martin    Chuzzlewit ;    Oliver    Twist  ;    Great 

Expectations  :  David  Copperfield  ;  Tale  of  Two  Cities  ; 

Hard  Times ;  Bleak  House ;  Little   Dorrit ;    American 

Notes,     and     Italy ;     Mutual    Friend ;     Uncommercial 

Traveler. 
De  Foe  :— 

Robinson  Crusoe. 
Edgeworth,  Maria : — 

Tales  and  Novels,  ten  volumes. 
Erckmann-Chatrian : — 

Histoire  du  Plebiscite  ;  Waterloo  ;  The  Conscript. 
Freytag : — 

Debit  and  Credit ;  Ingo  ;  Ingraben. 
Gaskell,  Mrs. : — 

Cranford  ;   My  Lady  Ludlow, 
Goldsmith,  Oliver : — 

The  Vicar  of  Wakefield. 
Hawthorne,  Nathaniel : — 

House  of  Seven  Gables  ;  Marble  Fawn  ;  Mosses  from  an 

Old  Manse  ;  Twice-told  Tales. 
Hale,  E.  E.  :— 

If,  Yes,  and  Perhaps  ;  Ingham  Papers. 
Irving,  Washington : — 

The    Alhambra ;    Bracebridge     Hall  ;     Knickerbocker's 

History  of  New  York  ;  Tales  of  a  Traveler  ;  Wolfert's 

Roost ;  Sketch-Book. 


i8o  What  Shall  I  Read? 

Kingsley,  Charles: — 

Amyas  Leigh  ;  Hypatia;  Two  Years  Ago. 
Lewes,  Mrs.  G.  IL,  ^George  Eliot) ; — 

Adam    Bede ;  The    Mill    on    the  Floss;  Silas   Mamer ; 

Romola  ;  Middlemarch  ;  Daniel  Deronda. 
Lytton,  Lord,  (Bulwer) : — 

The  Caxtons ;  My  Novel :  The  Last  Days  of  Pompeii ; 

The  Siege  of  Granada  ;  Kenelm  Chillingly. 
Lowell,  R.  T.  S.  :— 

The  New  Priest  of  Conception  Bay. 
Macdonald,  George: — 

Alec  Forbes;  Annals  of   a  Quiet  Ncighborliood  ;  David 

Elginbrod  ;  Phantastes  ;  Ranald   Bannennan's  Boyhood  ; 

The  Sea-Board  Parish;  The  Portent;   Robert  Falconer; 

St.  George  and  St.  Michael  ;  Malcolm. 
Manning,  Anne : — 

Maiden  and  Married  Life  of  Mary  Powell ;  Cherry  and 

Violet ;  Household  of  Sir  Thomas  More  ;  The  Fair  Gos- 
peller, (Anne  Askew)  ;  The  Old  Chelsea  Bun  House. 
Marlitt: — 

Gold    Elsie  ;  Old    Ma'amselle's  Secret ;    Princess  of  the 

Moor. 
Mitchell,  Donald  G.  :— 

Reveries  of  a  Bachelor  ;  Dream  Life. 
Mitford,  Mary  Russell : — 

Our  Village. 
Oliphant,  Mrs. : — 

Chronicles  of  Carlingford  ;  The  Athelings  ;  Katie  Stewart ; 


Catalogue  of  Books  Recommended.       i8i 

Oliphant,  Mrs. : — 

Last  of  the  Mortimers ;  Mrs.   Margaret  Maitland ;  Lil- 

liesleaf ;  Zaidee  ;  Perpetual  Curate ;  Miss  Marjoribanks. 
Prentiss,  Mrs. : — 

Stepping  Heavenward ;  Aunt  Jane's  Hero. 
Ruffini  :— 

Doctor  Antonio. 
Sartoris,  Mrs.  A.  Kemble  : — 

A  Week  in  a  French  Country  House. 
Scott,  Sir  Walter  :— 

Waverley ;    Ivanhoe ;    Kenilworth  ;     Guy    Mannering ; 

Woodstock  ;    The  Abbot ;    The  Monastery  ;  Rob  Roy  ; 

Legend  of  Montrose ;  Fortunes  of  Nigel ;  The    Pirate ; 

Old    Mortality ;     The   Antiquary ;     Quentin    Durvvard ; 

Peveril   of   the  Peak ;  The  Talisman  ;  Legends  of   the 

Scottish  Border ;  Poetical  Works. 
Sewell,  Miss  E.  M.  :— 

Amy   Herbert ;    Earl's  Daughter ;   Laneton  Parsonage ; 

Experience  of  Life. 
Sedgwick,  C.  M. :  — Hope  Leslie. 
Stowe,  Mrs.  H.  B.  :— 

Uncle  Tom's    Cabin ;    Minister's  Wooing ;   Old  Town 

Folks ;  Pink  and  White  Tyranny ;  Agnes  of  Sorrento ; 

Pearl  of  Orr's  Island  ;  Little  Pussy  Willow. 
Tautphceus,  Baroness  : — The  Initials  ;  Quits. 
Taylor,  Bayard  : — 

Hannah  Thurston  ;  Story  of  Kennett  ;  Joseph  and  his 

Friend. 


1 82  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

Thackeray,  William  M. ; — 

Vanity  Fair;  Pendennis ;    The  Newcomes  ;  Henry  Es- 
mond ;  The  Virginians  ;  The  Adventures  of  Philip. 
Thackeray,  Miss: — 

The  Village  on  the  Cliff;  Story  of  Elizabeth  ;  Tales. 
Trollope,  Anthony : — 

Barchester  Towers  ;  Doctor  Thome  ;  Framley  Parsonage  ; 

The  Claverings. 
Tytler,  Sarah: — 

Citoyenne  Jacqueline  ;    Huguenot  Family ;    Papers    for 

Thoughtful  Girls  ;  Sweet  Counsel  for  Girls. 
Ware,  William : — 

Aurelian  ;  Zenobia  ;  Julian. 
Warner,  Misses  A.  and  S. : — 

The  Wide,  Wide  World;  Queechy ;   Hills  of  the  Shate- 

muc. 
Whitney,  Mrs.  A.  D.  T.  :— 

Faith    Gartney's    Girlhood ;    Leslie    Goldthwaite ;    We 

Girls. 
Yonge,  Miss  C.  M. : — 

Heir  of  Redclyffe ;  Clever  Woman  of  the  Family  ;  The 

Castle  Builders  ;  Heartsease. 

Poetry. 
This  list  is  composed  of  Poems  published  by 
themselves   in  illustrated  volumes.      They  will 
also  be  found  in  the  poetical  works  of  the  best 


Catalogue  of  Books  Recommended.       183 

authors  already  mentioned,  but  in  this  form 
are  more  attractive  to  the  general  reader,  and 
suitable  for  gift  books. 

Tales  of  a  Wayside  Inn Longfellow. 

Idyls  of  the  King Alfred  Tennyson. 

In  Memoriam Alfred  Tennyson. 

The  Vagabond Trowbridge. 

Nothing  to  Wear W.  A.  Butler. 

The  Culprit  Fay J.  R.  Drake. 

The  Deserted  Village Oliver  Goldsmith. 

Lucille Owen  Meredith. 

Bothwell Aytoun. 

Elegy  in  a  Country  Church-yard Gray. 

Snow  Bound Whittier. 

Among  the  Hills Whittier. 

Lyra  Americana 

Lyra  Anglicana 

Lyra  Germanica 

Hymns  of  the  Ages,  (three  volumes) 

Reliques  of  Old  English  Poetry Percy. 

Reynard  the  Fox Goethe. 

Katrina J.  G.  Holland. 

Ancient  Spanish  Ballads Lockhart. 

Lost  Tales  of  Miletus Lord  B.  I-ytton. 

Paradise  Lost Milton. 

Poetical  Works    Walter  Scott. 


1 84  What  Shall  I  Read? 

Poetical  Works Wm.  C.  Br)  ant. 

Poetical  Works H.  W.  Longfellow. 

Poetical  Works J.  G.  Whittier. 

Poetical  Works Mrs.  Browning. 

Poems Thos.  Campbell, 

Poetical  Works Cowper. 

Dante,  (translated  by) Gary. 

Poems Mrs.  Hemans. 

Poetical  Works Merrick. 

Poems O.  W.  Holmes. 

Poetical  Works Thomas  Hood. 

Poetical  Works Oliver  Goldsmith. 

Poems Jean  Ingelow. 

Lays  of  Ancient  Rome Macaulay. 

Poems,  by  Schiller,  (translated  by) Lord  B.  Lytton. 

Poetical  Works Lowell. 

Poems Gray. 

Poetical  Works Gerald  Massey. 

Poems Milton. 

Poems Dinah  Mulock. 

Poems Adelaide  North. 

Poetical  Works Southey. 

Poems Chris.  Rosetti. 

Poems V Samuel  Rogers. 

Religious  Poems Mrs.  Stowe. 

Poems Alfred  Tennyson. 

Poems Wordsworth. 


Catalogue  of  Books  Recoinniatded.       185 

Collections  of  Poetry. 

British  Poets  from  Chaucer  to  Wordsworth.  Child. 

Household  Book  of  Songs Bowman  &  Dana, 

Library  of  Poetry  and  Song Bryant. 

Companion  Poets.     Illustrated 

Household  Book  of  Poetry C.  A.  Dana. 

Poets  and  Poetry  of  Europe Longfellow. 

Poets  and  Poetry  of  America R.  W.  Griswold. 

Folk  Songs J.  W.  Palmer. 

Sacred  Music  of  the  Nineteenth  Century.   Willmott. 

Book  of  Laws,  (edited  by) S.  C.  Hall. 

Home  Affections  Portrayed  by  Poets  (Illus.)  C.  Mackay. 

Homer's  Iliad,  (translated) 

Virgil's  ^neid Cranch. 

Dante's  Inferno Cary. 

Books  of  Natural   History. 

Quadrupeds  of  America   Audubon. 

Birds  of  America Audubon. 

American  Ornithology Wilson. 

Our  Own  Birds Bailey. 

Actcca.     First  Lessons  in  Natural  History.   Mrs.  Agassiz. 

Adventures  of  a  Young  Naturalist L.  Biart. 

Wake  Robin- John  Burroughs. 

Child's  Book  of  Nature W.  Hooker. 

Houses  Without  Hands J.  G.  Wood. 

Our  Feathered  Friends J.  G.  Wood. 


1 86  What  Shall  I  Read  ? 

Natui  il  History J.  G.  Wood. 

Curiosities  of  Natural  History F.  Buckland. 

Seaside  Studies  in  Natural  History E.  C.  &  A.  Agassi^ 

Chapters  on  Animals P.  G.  Hamerton. 

Glaucus — Wonders  of  Sea  and  Land. . . .     Chas.  Kingsley. 

The  Bird.     (Illustrated) Michelet. 

Nat'vral  H'story  of  Cage  Birds Beckstein. 

History  Primers. 

History  of  Europe Freeman.   Ed.  by  J.  R.  Green. 

Old  Greek  Life 

History  of  Greece C.  A.  Fyffe.  "  " 

Geography George  Grove.  "  " 

Classical  Geography H.  F.  Toyer.  "  " 

Literature  Primers. 

English  Literature S.  A.  Brooke.  Ed.  by  J.  R.  Green. 

Philology John  Peek.  '*  " 


THE   END. 


Publications  of  Phillips  &  Hunt, 

805  Broadway,  IVew  York. 

COiVlPREHENSIVE  HISTORY  OF  METHODISM. 

By  JAMES    PORTER,  D.D. 
One  volume.     12mo.     601   pages.     $1  73. 

This  is  a  new  work,  having  little  connection  with  "  The  Com- 
I  BNDiuM  OF  Methodism."  That  was  chicfiy  devoted  to  our  doc- 
tiines.  government,  and  prudential  economy.  This  is  purely 
historical,  reaching  from  the  beginning  to  the  present  time,  and 
presenting  the  leading  facts  and  fortunes  of  the  Church  in  their 
actual  and  philosophical  relations  and  bearings.  It  was  written 
to. accommodate  that  large  class  of  Methodists  who  have  not  the 
time  to  read  Drs.  Bangs  and  Stevens'  more  elaborate  histories, 
or  the  means  to  purchase  them.  Preachers  who  have  not  com- 
plete sets  of  our  Benevolent  Keports,  General  Minutes,  and  Jour- 
nals, (and  few  have  them,)  will  often  find  its  numerous  tables  an 
excellent  substitute. 

The  first  part  is  appropriately  ornamented  with  a  steel  engrav- 
ing of  Mr.  Wesley,  and  the  second  with  a  similar  one  ot  Mr. 
Asbury.  The  whole  is  rendered  available  by  a  copious  '■'■Topical 
Judex.'''  How  the  work  has  been  received  may  be  inferred  from 
the  following  extracts : — 

Every  Methodist,  it  matters  not  to  what  branch  of  the  Methodist  family 
he  belongs,  should  have  at  least  a  correct  general  knowledge  of  the  history 
of  Methodism.  As  the  varions  Methodist  bodius  had  a  common  origin,  and 
for  a  long  time  a  common  histoiy,  any  well -prepared  history  of  Methodism 
must,  as  a  mattei-  of  course,  be  interesting  and  valuable  to  them  aU.  Nu- 
merous works  of  this  kind  have  been  pubhshed.  But  there  was  need  of  a 
more  compendious  history,  coming  doun  to  the  present,  and  presented  in 
such  a  compass  :ind  form  as  to  come  within  the  reach  of  all.  The  present 
volume  meets  this  demand. — Home  Oumpanion. 

The  history  of  Methodism  is  locked  in  large  volumes  that  some  cannot 
buy  and  few  will  read.  That  this  growing  people  may  learn  the  trials  and 
triumphs  of  their  fathers,  this  volume  has  bwn  written.  The  wirk  it  lays 
out  for  itself  has  been  well  done.  It  is  interesting  and  pointed  in  style,  and 
eloquent  at  times.  The  facts  are  grouped  under  taking  heads,  and  tlie  par- 
agraphs are  not  too  long  or  the  di-tails  too  much  dwcdt  up(>n.  .  .  .  Tlie 
work  carries  tne  history  of  the  Church  to  a  later  point  than  any  other  his- 
tory, reaching  the  noted  Book  Concern  troubles.  .  .  .  The  book  is  issued 
in  an  attractive  type  and  form,  and  care  has  been  used  in  reading  it,  witu 
taste  in  composing  and  airanging  the  matter.  This  history  deserves  to  be 
popular,  not  only  in  tlie  Methodist  Cluirch,  but  am  -ng  others.  -  ( 'lui-uimiti 
Times. 

The  Chri  ti/in  Stafemnnn  says:  Thoifi  is.  perha)is.  no  person  in  the 
Meiliodist  Cliurch  better  qualified  to  accomplish  the  work  of  preiiaring  a 
compendious  history  of  Methodism  tlian  I)r  Porter,  the  author  of  the  vol- 
ume before  us.  He  has  lived  through  its  most  important  and  stirring 
crises,  and  has  alw.avs  l)een  recognized  as  a  close  observer  and  careful  stu- 
dt-rit.  o)  it^  liistory  and  policy.  'i'liiB  new  hist  ry  wlii  h  he  has  iirejiared  is 
liiU-nlionully  comprehensive  in  its  scope,  and  available  to  all.  We  commend 
it  particularly  to  all  young  peop  e.  as  bel  ig  well  calculated  to  inspire  them 
wilii  zlmI  lur  till-  Church  and  love  for  the  srrfut  '.a   se  of  Chriitianilv. 


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